The Family Series
by Zena Airale
Summary: An 11 story series I cowrote with Doctor Discord on Wattpad, focusing on the relationship between Lloyd and his father, Garmadon. The first book takes place after episode 19, "Wrong Place, Wrong Time.
1. Family

"Focus, Lloyd. You can control your power much easier now that you've grown. You've just got to _focus_."

"Well, you talking isn't helping any, Kai." Lloyd closed his eyes and concentrated. He immediately regretted snapping at the Fire Ninja, but he was tired. Ever since he'd aged he hadn't been able to get any more than four hours of sleep at night. Every spare moment was spent training.

The small orb of green energy burst into existence in the center of his hands. He opened his eyes and grinned. A small bead of sweat formed on his forehead.

"Good," Kai said. "Try making it a little bigger, but don't lose control. You must harness this power."

"I'll try." Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut again, more sweat forming. This was the longest he'd ever been able to hold it. Usually, as soon as it appeared it'd fade. The orb swelled a little, growing bigger.

"Very good, kid. Now, aim for that punching bag."

Lloyd spun around slowly, facing the bag. He was really sweating now, his face hot from the intense power he was calling upon. The power of his grandfather, the First Spinjitzu Master.

A beam of green light, a shade lighter than the orb, shot out. Lloyd let out a shout, trying to control its path. The beam wavered, wobbling in the air.

"Fantastic, Lloyd! Now, hit the bag," Kai exclaimed.

Lloyd tried, he really did, but the power was too much. He couldn't hold it. The beam shot to the left, completely missing the punching bag and instead hitting the mirror behind all of Dareth's fake trophies. It bounced around, and Lloyd, too drained to move, was hit by the uncontrollable power. He staggered, stumbling back a few steps, watching the world crumble to black and Kai racing toward him before he fell forward and collapsed, unconscious.

Lloyd opened his eyes slowly, the light hurting his eyes. The four ninja, Sensei Wu, and Nya were all staring down at him. He looked around. He was still lying on the floor of Dareth's Mojo Dojo.

"Wh...what happened," he asked sitting up and holding his head.

"You passed out after you were hit with that energy," Kai said. "You've been out for about an hour."

"An...an hour? What about Dareth's class? Didn't he have one?"

"Nah," Jay spoke up. "He canceled. We didn't want to move you. You were really pale and you were burning up."

"I...I was?" Lloyd tried to stand, but immediately started to fall. Cole caught him.

"Whoa, slow down there, kid. It's clear we've been pushing you too hard. Take it easy for a while," the Black Ninja said, setting him down.

"Cole is right," Zane put in. "If you are to be at full strength when you face Garmadon, you must rest."

"Rest? Rest! I can't rest! I have to master this!" Lloyd tried to stand once more, but Wu placed one end of his staff against his chest, effectively pinning him to the floor.

"You need to stay sharp and focused, nephew. The exertion of your body aging in a matter of seconds will have drained your strength as well. You need sleep."

"Fine." Lloyd said, giving up. Nya helped him to his feet.

"Come on," she said, placing one of his arms around her shoulders. Cole took the other. "We'll help you to the Bounty."

Lloyd woke to the pounding of footsteps above him. He sat up, groaning and holding his head. He had a massive headache. Just then Cole burst into the room the five of them shared.

"Serpentine," he said, "Directly below us. Don't worry," he added, pushing Lloyd back onto his bed, "Us four have got this covered. Nya and Sensei Wu are coming as well in the Samurai X suit, so I think we can handle a couple of snakes. We're touching down in a little bit, and I just wanted to give you a heads up."

Jay poked his head through the doorway. "Cole, you comin'?"

"Yeah, of course." The Earth Ninja turned back to Lloyd, giving him a small smile. "Stay here, kid. Go back to sleep." Then he left with Jay to join the others on deck.

No matter how hard he tried, though, the Green Ninja couldn't fall back asleep. He lay in bed for what seemed like ages before he decided to get up.

Standing up, Lloyd stumbled through the Bounty with a hand pressed against his temple in an attempt to relieve the massive headache that had sprung up.

When he reached the Bridge, he collapsed to the floor, panting. _Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to get up after all_ , he thought.

Heaving himself into a sitting position, Lloyd stared at the big screen that was currently displaying Zane's falcon's view of the ship.

"Guess they didn't think I'd be awake to protect the ship," he said to himself. "Not that I can protect much of anything in this state."

Suddenly, something caught his eye on the screen. Squinting, he looked harder, his eyes widening as he identified the red blip on the screen. Pulling himself upright, he made his way over to the mic that allowed him to communicate with Nya through her Samurai X suit.

"Nya!" Lloyd practically shouted into the mic. "Scales and the other generals are boarding the Bounty! I...I can't protect myself like this, I can barely stand!"

"We're on our way," her voice came through, almost smothered in static. "Just hang on!"

There was a loud thump on the deck outside, accompanied by a low hiss. Lloyd looked out the window. The four remaining Serpentine Generals, Scales, Acidious, Skalidor, and Fangtom were all there. It appears that Skalidor tripped and Scales had smacked him on the head, as he was on the ground and rubbing his head. The Green Ninja could barely here what they were saying.

"You idiot," Scales hissed in a loud whisper. "Are you trying to alert him of our presence? He may be weak, but he could still crush you!"

"Sorry, Scales," Skalidor replied, getting back on his feet, well, tail. Lloyd rushed back to the mic.

"I don't have much time, Nya!" This time he whispered, he didn't want the Generals to know he was so close by. "According to Scales, they're after me!"

"Then hide! The serpentine led us on a wild goose chase through the forest. We'll be there as soon as we can!"

The connection was cut, and Lloyd was alone. Another hiss on deck snapped him out of his stupor and he looked around frantically for a place to hide. He couldn't get out of the Bridge. The only exit led out onto the deck, and Scales was there, standing guard while the other three generals searched the ship. He watched as Acidious and Fangtom slithered below deck and Skalidor come up the stairs to the Bridge. He was trapped.

The Green Ninja dove behind the stand that held Jay's beloved button, pressing himself flat against it, hoping nothing was sticking out. He heard the crash as the door banged open as Skalidor forced his way in. Lloyd held his breath as Skalidor glanced around the room. There weren't many hiding spots, and apparently he didn't consider the button. He let out his breath when he heard the slithering of the general fade away.

He poked his head around the corner, just to make sure the coast was clear, when he felt something scaly pin him down. The long, black tail of Skalidor was wrapped around his legs, arms, and neck. The overgrown snake squeezed, choking Lloyd.

"You've grown ssssssince the last time we met," he hissed in his ear. "But your ssssssstill weak. You may look older, but you're still a little boy at heart."

Black spots danced in the Green Ninja's vision, and he heard the distant touchdown of metal against the earth. Samurai X and the Ninja had arrived.

Drawing up his remaining strength, Lloyd took as big a breath he could and called out.

"HEL–" He was immediately silenced by Skalidor shifting his grip and clamping down the end of his tail over his mouth. He tried to struggle free, but no matter what he did, nothing worked.

 _What did Cole say about getting out an a Constrictai's grip? Relax...It's not working!_

He couldn't relax. Fear flowed through him. Help was so close! Skalidor was right. He still was a child inside.

Scales shot through the broken door to the Bridge. "The Ninja are here, along with the Sssssssamurai! We must get out of here!"

The Constrictai General gave a quick, tight squeeze to Lloyd's neck and he instantly was out cold.

Kai jumped from the back of his sister's suit and raced toward the Destiny's Bounty.

 _C'mon, kid, please be here, please be here!_

He jumped onto the deck. Everything looked okay. That was before he went below deck.

Everything was trashed. It looked like a tornado had gone through. He picked his way through the rubble. _No way could Lloyd have stayed hidden if he was down here._

"Kai, come quick!"

The hotheaded Fire Ninja raced back onto the deck and into the Bridge. The door was in ruins, hanging on to its frame by a splinter. He ran up to where everyone was crowded around Jay's precious button.

Black scales were everywhere. It looked like Lloyd had struggled a lot. Kai picked up a scrap of green fabric, the same fabric their uniforms were made out of.

"We're too late."

Lloyd groaned and opened his eyes. He tried to remember what had happened, all he could recall was hissing, a burning sensation in his lungs then...nothing. He tried to reach down and rub his throat. It was very sore for some strange reason, but all that happened was a quiet clinking sound emanating from above him. Then he noticed his position.

First of all, he was standing. How could he have been sleeping and standing? His arms were above him as well. That shouldn't be possible, unless...he tried to move his arm again. It didn't budge. The same clinking sound was all that happened. _Chains..._

He tried to move his feet next. He couldn't lift them off the ground. _Why would I be chained..._ Then the memories hit him like a speeding train.

 _No, no no no no no no no!_

He remembered the Serpentine on deck, being wrapped in Skalidor's death grip, Scales saying it was time to go then...darkness.

 _I have to get out of here! Who knows what those snakes'll do to me!_

Lloyd started to struggle in his chains. He tried to call upon his power, but nothing happened. _That's strange, usually I can at least use my power. I guess I'll try again._ No matter what he did, though, nothing worked. He worked himself up into a sweat trying to get his power to work.

"It won't work."

The Green Ninja jumped at the sound of Scales voice. He was so busy trying to use is power he hadn't notice the Hypnobrai General.

"Those chains are made out of Venge Ssssssssstone, as well as the entire ssssscell. Your powers are usssselesssssss."

"Wh-what do you want with m-me, Scales?"

The snake slithered closer. "The sssame thing I wanted _last_ time I tried to get you. The only difference: I succeeded this time." His voice deepened, sending shivers up the Ninja's spine. "I want control over the Serpentine. _I_ am their rightful ruler, not that pitiful human Garmadon."

Scales came even closer, whispering into his ear. "I'm going to use you againssst your father, use you to take back what is rightfully mine."

The Serpentine General swiftly left the cell after that, leaving the two Constrictai guarding it to close the door behind him. Lloyd was left alone and in the dark once more.

Garmadon was pacing back and forth in his hut in Ouroborus, wiping sweat from his brow. How can these snakes _stand_ this heat? He looked up from his incessant pacing at the sound of his door being slammed open.

"Oh, it's just, you, Scales. What is it?" Garmadon raised an eyebrow when the other three generals slithered in after him.

"Scales? What is the meaning of this!"

"I want what's rightfully mine!" Scales pointed his staff at him and the other three generals grabbed his four arms and held him still.

"Let me go this instant, you insolent fools!" Garmadon struggled in their grip, but it was three against one; even if he _did_ have four arms.

"I want control of the Serpentine army," Scales continued, staring the Dark Lord dead in the eye. "And I know jussst how to get it."

"And how would you," Garmadon said, making his words sound as threatening as possible. "You know I won't give up control easily."

"Which is why I have thissss." Scales banged his staff on the ground and a Hypnobrai soldier hurried in holding what looked like a photo. He handed the photo to the blue general and ran back out. Scales slithered closer, holding up the photo so Garmadon could see it clearly.

It was of Lloyd. He was older, but there was no doubt in his mind it was his son. He was in chains, made from Venge Stone by the look of it, and unconscious. His arms were suspended above him and his feet anchored to the floor. There was an angry, swollen bruise around his throat.

"Lloyd..." Anger, hatred, and fear for his son flooded his senses. He would've _obliterated_ the smug snake before him if he was not being held back. " _What have you done to my son?_ "

"Nothing, yet. Skalidor just put him into a _sssqueeze_ so he would keep quiet. Wouldn't be surprissssed if he had a few bruised ribsss, or even broken onesss."

"You...You..." Garmadon swore colorfully, shouting every profanity he knew at the Hypnobrai. When he was done, he felt drained. All his anger faded away, replaced by the ever-growing presence of fear for his son. The Dark Lord bowed his head. "What do you want?"

His anger surged back up at the look on Scales face, but quickly died back down. He couldn't afford to be rash. Lloyd was at stake.

"I already said this once, I won't say it again." Scales rattled his tail. _He wouldn't dare._ The snake's eyes started to swirl before him. _Don't look him in the eye, don't look him in the eye._ Garmadon focused on the snake's forehead, hoping Scales wouldn't notice there wasn't direct eye contact.

"You will give me control of the army, Garmadon." The Dark Lord shook his head.

"No."

Scales looked so taken aback that Garmadon smiled. "Fine," the general said, "If you don't..." Scales ripped the picture in half. Garmadon watched the two halves float to the floor. "I'll give you one week to decide."

The other generals dropped him and he fell to his knees. The snakes left his hut, leaving the terrified father behind.

 _Lloyd..._

"Why would the Serpentine do this? What do they need him for?"

Every remaining occupant of the Destiny's Bounty was gathered in the Bridge, trying to figure out where they would've taken their friend.

"I don't know, Kai, but it can't be good." It was hard to see, but if you looked hard enough, you could see that Sensei Wu was wracked with worry for his nephew. Lloyd was his only family, after all, since his father is long dead and his brother is...the way he is.

"Don't worry, Sensei, we'll find him," Kai said, placing a hand on the old man's shoulder.

"I know; I just hope it's in time."

 _What am I going to do?_

Garmadon hadn't move from his spot on the floor for over an hour. He was wracking his brain for something, _anything_ that would help him, but he couldn't focus. His mind kept drifting to Lloyd. He stared at the ruined picture. What were they doing to him? Was he hurt? He had no way to know. As much as he hated it, he needed help, and the only person he could think of was his brother. They helped him last time, why not now? Garmadon stood.

 _I need to save my son._

So he gathered up the torn picture and started on the way back to civilization.

Lloyd's ribs throbbed. He hadn't even noticed the pain until he started struggling again and he stretched the wrong way. He would've doubled over, but, as it was, he could barely move. He was breathing hard, his hair matted with sweat. He looked up, fury and agony dancing in his eyes as Scales entered the cell.

"You look terrible!" Lloyd didn't say anything, just watched as the snake pulled out a camera and snapped a picture of him. "This'll go to that ship of yours and your friends. Maybe I'll bring a copy of your father." The Hypnobrai general noticed Lloyd's eyes widen at the mention of his father.

"Yesss, I've already ssseen Garmadon. His reactshhhon to the picture I took while you were still unconsssssciousss was pricelesss. And let me tell you," Lloyd forgot how to breathe for a moment. "He looked so broken, it'sss hard to believe that, one day, one of you will have to kill the other."

The snake handed the camera to another Serpentine outside and came closer. "Hmmm, I wonder..."

Scales placed a hand on Lloyd's side and added a little pressure. The Green Ninja had to grit his teeth and squeeze his eyes shut to keep from crying out.

"My, you _have_ gotten ssstronger," Scales praised, pushing harder onto his prisoners ribs. "A little boy would be sssscreaming in agony by now." His tone dropped, becoming menacing. "How far will I have to go till I push you over the edge?"

The blue snake placed his remaining hand on Lloyd's other side and pushed with equal force on both sides. Lloyd felt like he was in the grip of Skalidor again: he was unable to move, unable to free himself, and completely helpless. He couldn't stop a strangled cry from escaping his lips.

"Oooh, you're clossse, Chosen One. Let'ssss sssssee..." Scales pushed harder. A sharp _crack!_ echoed through the small cell, followed by a shrill scream.

"Oopssssss, _now_ they're broken."

"What's this?"

Cole bent down to pick up something. Everyone had just exited the Bridge after spending hours brainstorming to find where the Serpentine might've taken Lloyd. So far, they had nothing.

Kai watched as the Black Ninja paled considerably. "What is it Cole?" Zane and Jay picked up on that something was wrong and walked over to their close friend.

"It's...it's..." Something was definitely wrong. Cole never stuttered. That was Jay. Kai looked over Cole's shoulder, and he felt all color drain from his face.

It was a picture of Lloyd. The poor kid was awake and in chains, but looked barely conscious. His normally windswept blonde hair was matted and sticking to his head. His eyes...his eyes were windows into what he was feeling. Kai saw fury, loneliness, fear...and pain. Lloyd was in pain.

Kai stepped back, felling dizzy and lightheaded. He could barely stand. _What have they done to him?_

He watched as Jay and Zane studied at the photo. Jay looked like he was about to pass out and Zane, though he was a Nindroid, had a look of horror on his face. Cole hadn't moved since he picked up the image. He was frozen. The normally solid Earth Ninja was in shock. Kai wasn't much better.

"What is wrong, my students? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Kai didn't say anything to his Sensei as he and Nya made their way toward the horrified group. He just pointed at the picture in Cole's hands.

Nya fainted on the spot. The Fire Ninja remembered himself enough to catch her before she hit the deck. Wu visibly paled, and when he looked up, Kai nearly dropped his sister.

There was no longer a boundary holding back the old man's emotions. Kai could see the flames burning in Sensei's eyes. He was furious, furious at the ones who did this to his family. And nothing would stop him.

"Wu..."

Kai spun around, snapped out of his daze at the sound of that voice. He _knew_ that voice. He knew it all too well.

Standing there was Lord Garmadon himself, but something was off. He looked exhausted, like he'd just walked a thousand miles. And if he had walked all the way here from Ouroborus, he probably had.

The thing that threw the hotheaded Fire Ninja off the most was his eyes. They were always so full of menace, and sometimes a touch of sadness whenever he confronted Lloyd, but now...now they were broken. He saw an uncontrollable anger, like in Sensei's eyes, but also something else. Fear. Garmadon was terrified.

"They...they took my son..." the four armed man stumbled forward. Cole, no longer in shock, dropped the photo at the sight of their number one enemy–well, number _two_ enemy now–aboard their ship.

"My son..." He leaned heavily on his brother, and Wu supported him. Then Garmadon spotted the picture that had floated to the floor. He dropped the two halves of another picture he had been clutching. Then, Kai saw something that he thought he'd never have a chance to see.

The Dark Lord, Master of Evil, passed out.

Garmadon woke in a strange place, in a strange bed.

 _Where am I?_

He reached over for his Mega Weapon, but drew his hand back. The Ninja had destroyed it only days ago, in the past.

He rubbed his head with one of his arms. This place _did_ look familiar... Then it hit him. This was his room on the Destiny's Bounty, from when Lloyd went missing...

 _Lloyd!_

All four hands tightened into fists. Those cursed snakes will _pay_ for what they've done to his son. They took him away once before. They will _never_ do it again. That he swore.

Garmadon climbed out of bed and stumbled his way on deck. The Ninja were there, training on their obstacle course.

Zane, he believed his name was, turned to face him. "Garmadon, you're awake! That is good, you've been asleep for nearly a full day now."

 _What?!_

"Where's my brother?"

Kai turned to face him now, Garmadon remembered _his_ name well, the stubborn little–

"In the Bridge, with my sister. They've been waiting for you to wake up."

 _Strange, he doesn't seem as hostile as before. I guess they care about Lloyd just as much as I do. They don't want to see him hurt, either._

The minute he entered "the Bridge," the girl, Kai's sister, he assumed, left, saying "I'll leave you two be."

Garmadon walked up to stand next to his brother, who placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry brother, we'll find him." Garmadon didn't reply, just stared at the two pictures on the table, the one he had brought, and the one the Ninja had found. Just looking at the second one made his head spin with worry and fear. He hoped with all his heart that Lloyd was okay, but, judging by the look in his son's eyes, he wasn't.

The only other thing on the table was a pile of black snake scales. The only tribe whose scales were black were–

"Constrictai," Garmadon said, picking up a handful and crushing them in his fist.

"We know, there's another reason I wanted to talk to you alone." Wu turned to face him. "Do you know why the Serpentine generals would do this?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Garmadon hung his head. "Scales confronted me before I came here. He wants what he says is rightfully his."

"And what would that be, brother?"

He looked back up. "Control over the Serpentine army." Before Wu could respond, Garmadon continued. "I know, there's nothing to decide, but in the heat of the moment, my pride didn't let me say yes. Scales said he would come back in one week for my answer. Who knows what that cursed Hypnobrai could do to my son in a week!"

He hung his head again. "What have I done?"

He couldn't bear to face his brother. He feared that he'd throw him out, turn him away. He was the reason Lloyd was in danger, and hurt. Only him.

Not the Ninja.

Not Wu.

Him.

He was supposed to be his father, but destiny seems to like tearing his family to shreds. Well, he'd change destiny. He refused to kill his son in the final battle. And now, he was going to save his son no matter what, with or without his brother.

"Garmadon."

Garmadon looked up in surprise. Wu never called him by his first name, always 'brother'.

"You are not at fault. Scales is the one who started this mess. He may not have even given Lloyd back after you gave him control. He may have kept to blackmail you even further. We will find him, together."

Garmadon put his own hand on his brother's shoulder. He couldn't have asked for a better family. "Thank you, brother. Now, let's find my son."

Lloyd could barely breath. It hurt _so much_ to. He couldn't take deep enough breaths.

 _Oh God. I'm gonna die._

He didn't even raise his head when he heard the door open. He didn't have the energy to. His breaths came in ragged gasps, and he could hear a crackling in his chest that made him cringe.

It was when he felt the tip of a blade against his chin that he looked up, breath hitching.

He looked up, and, to no one's surprise, saw Scales standing there, pressing something that looked like a Fang Blade against his chin.

"Your father hasss run off," the General said. "He probably went crawling to your friendsss, jussst like lassst time."

Scales removed the blade from his chin and Lloyd's head immediately dropped. He just didn't have the strength to hold it up. Scales moved around to his back.

"What...what are...you...doing?" The Green Ninja spoke his first words in hours, maybe even days, who knows. His voice was raspy, matching the sound of his breathing.

"Oooh, so you finally decide to speak!" Lloyd could no longer see the snake as the last of his tail disappeared from view. It made him extremely nervous.

"If you mussst know, I'm cutting off the back of your uniform." Lloyd could feel the tip of the blade brush against his skin. He started to get suspicious; Scales was being very careful not to break skin.

"Wh...why?" He broke into a coughing fit, shaking the chains that suspended his arms above him. When it finally stopped, his lungs felt like they were on fire. He started to suspect one of his broken ribs had punctured a lung. That would explain a lot.

"You'll find out sssoon enough." Lloyd felt the last of the fabric fall away. Now his entire back was exposed.

Scales retuned to the front and left, not bothering to close the door.

 _What is he up to? Whatever it is, I don't like it._

The snake came back moments later, this time carrying a small vile. Lloyd shrunk away as much as he could from the Hypnobrai General as he poured the contents of the vile along the edge of the Fang Blade replica.

"The vile contained Venomari poissson," he said, working it into the blade. "Normally it just makesss you deluuuusional, but when mixed with a little Fangpyre venom, it becomes much worse." Lloyd knew exactly why Scales had removed the fabric on his back now. He started struggling against the chains once more, ignoring his protesting ribs. A sick curiosity allowed him to continue to listen to the rest of the explanation, though.

"It'sss not lethal, but when it comesss in contact with human sskin, it caussses excruciating pain. When it entersss the bloodssstream, it feelsss like liquid fire is coursssing through your veinsss."

The snake suddenly went very quiet. All that could be heard was the clinking of Lloyd's chain and his ragged breathing. Eventually, the Green Ninja stopped moving and looked up at the large, blue snake. Big mistake.

Scales was ready for him. "Look in to my eyessss..."

 _No!_

But it was too late. Lloyd was trapped in the General's hypnotizing stare.

"Stay still."

For some reason, Scales left him in possession of his own mind. He was aware of everything that was happening. He tried to move. His muscles refused to respond. His mouth still worked, though.

"Wh...what are you planning on...on doing?"

It was a stupid question. They both knew. Scales didn't even bother respond, just slithered back behind Lloyd. The Ninja tried to get command back of his muscles, to get anything to respond so he could get away from this sadistic snake. He knew, though, that even if he could move, he couldn't get away. The Venge Stone canceled all his powers. There was no way he could get out of this.

The minute the blade touched his bare skin Lloyd almost screamed. It set his nerves on _fire_. Everything burned, like he was being roasted alive. When Scales broke skin, he did scream. His body was on fire. He didn't even become numb after a while. Every stroke of the blade sent new waves of liquid fire rolling through his system, burning everything. He saw red. Lloyd could feel the purposefulness in the strokes as well. Scales was carving something.

Something warm ran down his back. He couldn't stop screaming. It hurt. It hurt so badly. He wanted it all stop. As soon as Scales was done, he released his spell on Lloyd. The Green Ninja instantly passed out.

Garmadon was feeling better the next day. He now had complete faith the Ninja wouldn't toss him away. They'd help him find his boy.

He walked onto the deck, the Bounty was anchored in the air, and the sun was just rising. It was a beautiful sight.

Something caught his eye. A small table was standing in the middle of the deck.

 _I wonder who put that there?_

Curiosity overtook him and walked over to check it out. On it was a single envelope. Written in blood-red ink were the words:

 _"For the Crew of the Destiny's Bounty"_

Garmadon knew what it was then. He wondered if he should call for Wu. He'd still be asleep, wouldn't he? Actually, knowing his brother, he's probably been up all night meditating to try and find Lloyd. Plus, he didn't want to be alone when he saw the contents of the envelope. So he went back below deck to hunt down his brother.

Just as he suspected, Wu was meditating in his room, his back to the door. Garmadon knocked lightly on the door, slightly afraid to disturb him. He heard Wu sigh.

"Anything," Garmadon asked tentatively.

"No, nothing," Wu replied, clearly frustrated. "It's as if they've vanished. I can't find a trace."

Wu turned to face him. "What is it that you need me for, brother?"

"There's a message above deck. I...I didn't want to open it alone."

His brother nodded, sympathy showing in his eyes. "I see. Well, let's go read this message, then."

Garmadon led the way to the table. He picked up the envelope, and hesitated. Did he _really_ need to know what was inside here? At a nod from Wu, though, he took a deep breath and gathered up the courage to open it careful not to damage the contents.

Inside were two more photos and a letter. Garmadon picked up the photos first, and nearly threw up.

The first was of Lloyd. He was unconscious, but every muscle was locked up in agony. It appeared that he was shaking, as the picture seemed slightly blurry. He handed the picture to Wu, who took one glance and laid it face down on the table.

The second was worse. It was a close-up of Lloyd's back. Carved into it was a ragged spiral, a symbol the two brothers knew all too well. The Tribal Symbol of the Hypnobrai. It looked brand new, it was even still bleeding. The part that worried Garmadon the most was the slight green tinge the blood had, as if something _else_ had been mixed in.

Again he handed it to Wu, who placed it face down the table. He reached for the letter next. It was specifically addressed to him.

 _"For: Lord Garmadon"_

He opened the letter.

 _"Dear Lord Garmadon,_

 _I hope this finds you well. You wouldn't want to miss out on an update about Lloyd, would you? Did you like the drawing? The blade I used was drenched in Venomari/Fanpyre poison mixture. You know all too well what THAT feels like, don't you? Oh, and something else to worry about. Turns out Skalidor DIDN'T break the boy's ribs, so I did. And judging by the sound of his breathing, I do believe one punctured a lung. You better hurry, Garmadon. He might not survive to the end of the week._

 _Scales, Rightful Ruler of the Serpentine"_

Garmadon's hands shook. He'd annihilate that snake the next time he laid eyes on him. Wu gently pried the letter from his hands and read it over himself. Garmadon barely noticed. He was fuming. He'd make Scales regret he'd ever came out of his tomb. He promised.

Kai and the rest of the Ninja, including Nya, listened, horrified, as Sensei Wu read the letter aloud. Garmadon had left the second it was mentioned, and Kai had a sneaking suspicion he was crying. He didn't judge. The Fire Ninja just couldn't muster up any hostility toward the old man, either. Before, it was different. The guy had kidnapped his sister and used her as leverage to get what he wanted.

Then, when Wu brought him back, he couldn't understand how he could have feelings for his son. Wasn't he supposed to be evil? Kai thought that, by defeating the Dark Lord, he'd become the Green Ninja and everything would be alright. But when _Lloyd_ was revealed to be the Chosen One, Kai saw the enormous pain flash in Garmadon's eyes. He'd lost his brother by turning evil. Now he was going to have to battle his own son to the death.

The Red Ninja just felt bad for him now. His family was in shatters. His father was dead. His wife left him. His brother was on the opposite side, and his son was dying. Kai was going to try and make sure that _that_ piece didn't turn to dust.

Every single one of them turned away when they were showed the pictures. Jay even threw up.

Kai felt his infamous temper rise up, shoving down the fear for Lloyd. If Garmadon didn't kill Scales first, he _would_.

The hotheaded Fire Ninja stormed out of the Bridge. He heard Nya call after him, but he ignored it. He had revenge on his mind.

He stomped into the room the five Ninja shared and slammed the door. He half cringed when he heard something crack. He climbed the ladder of his bunk and flopped onto the mattress. He was fuming. Scales actually had the _nerve_ to send a letter and _gloat_. The overgrown worm was proud of what he's done.

Kai felt an overwhelming urge to break something. He didn't want to damage the Bounty; it was their home, and besides, when they didn't have it, things didn't go so well, so he grabbed one of Jay's gliders he'd made all of them a while back, put it on, and climbed back onto the deck.

He positioned himself at the gap in the rail and got ready to jump when he heard the pounding of footsteps and a couple gasps. He turned around.

"Kai," Cole cried out. The Fire Ninja could hear the fear in his voice, but ignored it. His mind was to consumed with anger.

"What do you think you're doing," Jay finished. None of them saw the glider on his back.

"Sorry, guys. I don't want to hurt you. I'll see you all later."

He heard his sister call out to him, but it was too late. Kai leaned backwards and fell into open sky.

When he was no longer surrounded by clouds, and he could see the trees hurtling towards him did he open the glider. His free fall slowed significantly and he could control his descent more. After a slow flight down that almost made Kai drop the glider and free fall down (he was that impatient), he touched down.

There was a ten-minute-long struggle to get the glider _off_ that made him really wish he still had the power to burn things at will. When the thing was finally gone. Kai started stomping through the forest. His temper was really worked up now, and would take a _lot_ to calm him down again.

He punched a tree, and watched it crack around his fist. A couple of pieces of bark fell off. He pulled back and punched it again, and just started to pound into the tree until it broke under the force. Kai watched it fall, breathing heavily. He heard a crack echoing behind him and he spun around, and what he saw made his rage burn brighter than the sun.

A lone Serpentine was standing there, frozen at the sight of the Fire Ninja. It was from the Venomari Tribe; the poison-green scales and four eyes were tell-tale signs. Kai's hands clenched into fists. They both just stared at each other for a long time, until the snake did the smart thing: it turned tail and ran.

Kai immediately sprinted after it, and it didn't even make it two yards before He tackled it to the ground. Kai flipped it over so they were facing each other. The Serpentine's yellow eyes were filled with fear. The Ninja punched it in the face, for good measure and to release some of his pent up anger. Trees don't fight back.

"Where's Lloyd?" Kai's voice was low, almost a growl.

"I-I-I d-d-don-n't kn-kn-kno-ow," the snake stuttered, it's eyes focusing on anything but the Ninja on top of it.

"I'm not gonna ask again" Kai pressed closer, speaking through clenched teeth. "Where is Scales keeping him?"

"I-I-I real-really d-don't kn-know!" The Serpentine focused on him, now. "On-only the-the Gen-generals an-and those-ose in hi-his inner cir-circle kn-know. All he t-t-told the re-est of us is tha-that he's in o-one of the o-old Serp-serpentine-ine t-tombs."

 _Of course. Why didn't we think of that?_

The now relatively calm Fire Ninja punched the Venomari snake again, knocking it out cold. He stood up and jogged back to his original position by the tree he knocked down.

 _I've learned where Lloyd relatively is. I've got to tell the others! One problem: I don't know where they are._

To say Lloyd was in pain would be a major understatement. He was in _agony_. He was awake, yet barely conscious. He saw everything through a hazy fuzz. He couldn't even breath most of the time. The Green Ninja was on the brink of death.

He was vaguely aware of the metal door slamming shut, and the sound of angry hissing. He wanted desperately to sleep, but knew if he did, he might not ever wake up.

Lloyd didn't even try to stop the cry of pain when the blue blur also known as an enraged Scales in front of him punched him the chest. He suddenly stopped being able to breathe as his broken rib was shoved further into his already damaged lung. The hissing continued.

After thirty seconds of gasping like a fish, Lloyd finally was able to take a deep, shuddering breath, which quickly turned into a coughing fit. He couldn't take much more of this. His body wouldn't be able to handle it.

When his coughing subsided, he heard the door slam shut again. He closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep so badly.

Lloyd shook himself awake. No, he couldn't. The door opened again, but didn't shut. He expected to hear Scales again, but what he got frightened him much further.

"Hello, little boy," came the deep, gravelly tone of Skalidor. "I hear Sssscalesss has marked you asss belonging to _hissss_ tribe. Well, I want _my_ shhhhhare."

The weak Ninja knew exactly what the Constrictai General meant. He knew what was coming next. He tried to brace himself, but nothing could prepare him for the burning sensation that ran through his blood once more. He couldn't help but scream, even in his weak, delusional, and oxygen deprived state.

After many long and agonizing minutes, Lloyd now sported the triangle of chain links that represented the Constrictai Tribe on his back.

He though he couldn't breathe before. That was easy compared to this. His whole body was screaming at him to do something, to stop this torture. He couldn't, though. He was trapped, with no way out. He was dying, slowly.

The Constrictai General left, and Scales came back in, acting a lot calmer, but fury still blazed in his eyes.

"It appearssss that the Ninja have learned that we're in one of the Serpentine tombssss," he hissed. "But by the time they dissscover which one, we'll be long gone."

 _No! If we move, the others won't be able to find me in time. That was my one chance of maybe making it through this alive. Now, I'm as good as dead._

 _That boy just jumped off the ship while we were above cloud level! No way he survived that! I don't know why they're bothering._

As soon as Kai purposefully fell off the ship, everyone started scrambling around. Nya, as he learned the girl's name was, immediately pulled the ship into a dive, leveling us out as soon as we were below the clouds and could see Ninjago far below us.

Personally, Garmadon didn't understand what the fuss was about. The boy would _never_ survive a fall like that. He's sure to be dead. Of course, he didn't voice his opinion. He was sure to get thrown off if he did. Garmadon couldn't afford that. He still needed their help to find his son.

The Ninja were watching the forest below them for any sign of Kai. Garmadon almost spoke up and told them it was hopeless, when one of the tallest trees fell over with no sign of a cause.

The three remaining Ninja grinned at each other.

"Kai," they said in unison.

Kai was sitting on the newly formed tree stump, trying to think of a way to contact he others, when the unmistakable roar of the Bounty's jets scared him half to death.

"Guys! How did you find me," he questioned, jumping up when the flying ship landed.

"We saw the tree fall," Zane responded, "and immediately knew it was you."

"Why are you so excited, Kai," Cole asked, jumping down from the deck. "You look like you just discovered where Lloyd is."

"That's because I have."

Everyone froze and looked at him.

"Well don't just drop a bomb like and shut up," Jay cried out. "Where is he?"

"Also, how did you figure it out?" Garmadon was staring at him. That was the only pair of eyes that made the Fire Ninja uncomfortable, even though they were filled to the brim with hope.

"After I punched the tree down, I turned around to go after another one, but there was a Serpentine right behind me: a Venomari. It ran almost as soon as I saw it, but I tackled it and forced it to tell me where Lloyd is."

"Well, tell us where, Kai, don't stop now!" Cole practically shouted at him.

"Scales is keeping him in one of the Serpentine tombs. The snake I caught didn't know which one; said only the other generals and Scales' inner circle knows. But there's only five tombs. We'll be sure to find him."

"Of course, why didn't we think of that," Garmadon, remarked, face-palming himself.

"That's what I thought," Kai exclaimed.

"Wow, we must be really dense to have missed that," Cole said, rubbing his temple.

"Then, tomorrow, we search the Serpentine tombs," Sensei Wu said, speaking up for the first time.

"Tomorrow? We don't have time to do it tomorrow! Lloyd needs us to save him _now_!" Kai wondered what made Sensei think it was a good idea to do it tomorrow. After all, he was the one who said 'Never put till tomorrow what can be done today.'

All Sensei did was point at the sun with his staff. "The sun is setting, and you boys need your sleep. You must be at full strength if we are to rescue my nephew."

The four Ninja bowed. "Yes, Sensei." It was obvious none of them were happy about it, especially Garmadon. He looked ready to kill his younger brother for putting the rescue on hold. Even Wu himself didn't look happy with the decision.

As the Ninja all piled back on the ship and got ready for bed, Kai couldn't help but think of Lloyd. He was sure the others were doing the same.

 _Don't worry, kid. Wherever you are, whichever tomb you're in, we'll find you._

Lloyd struggled weakly in the strong grip of Scales. His hands were cuffed in front of him with Venge Stone. It's not like he had enough energy to even _use_ his power. He was being forced to walk down a long corridor in what he now recognized as the Anacondrai tomb.

 _It would've taken weeks to carve all this out. I spent a lot of time here with Pythor before I moved in with the Ninja. This was definitely not here before. Scales must have been preparing this for a long time._

His lungs were burning with the effort of just staying upright, let alone walking. His breaths were crackling, causing Scales to lookback every few seconds.

 _Huh. Guess he really doesn't want me dying on him. He'll lose all leverage against my father and the Ninja._

Lloyd stumbled to a stop as Scales halted as well. They were standing in front of a large sarcophagus, made out of Venge Stone, and just big enough to fit him. Little holes, not quite big enough to fit his hand through, were placed at even intervals along the sides. It was being guarded by four Serpentine, one from each tribe.

 _Wait._

 _Oh..._

 _Just big enough to fit me..._

His suspicions were proven correct as Scales picked him up and placed him in the open sarcophagus. He just didn't have the energy to fight back. The lid was placed back on, and Lloyd was sealed into darkness. The only light came from the breathing holes.

The sarcophagus shook violently, jarring his ribs and sending fresh waves of pain up his body, as it was picked up. They started to march out of the tomb, and to who-knows-where.

"They're not _here_!"

Garmadon kicked a rock out of his way. It bounced of the tomb wall and hit him straight in the jaw.

"Ow!" They were standing in the last unchecked tomb. The Anacondrai tomb. Yet there was nothing here.

The Dark Lord rubbed his now bleeding cheek and muttered angrily, kicking another rock aside.

"Do not worry, brother. We will find him." Wu attempted to calm him, but his soothing words only made him angrier. Some would argue he's even more temperamental than Kai.

"Don't tell me to _calm down_!" Garmadon shouted, waving his four arms around. "It's not _your_ son at stake!"

"No, but he is still family. I'm just as worried as you are, to be honest."

His rage faded quickly. Then, he did something that took them both surprise, something he hadn't done in _years_ , since before he was bitten.

He gave his brother a hug.

"I'm so scared, Wu." Garmadon's voice was soft now, only meant for his brother's ears.

"I know; I think we all are. There's nothing wrong in admitting it," Wu said, returning the hug. It was a little strange, since Garmadon had four arms, but it was comforting all the same.

"Hey, look, I found something!" Garmadon released his brother and followed the Ninja, who were flocking to the blue one, Jay.

He was gesturing to a large boulder. At first glance, it didn't appear to be anything special. Garmadon almost dismissed him as delusional. But then he looked closer. The edges of the boulder were smooth; as if it's been rolled back and forth a bunch of times.

"Uh, Jay," Kai said, "That's just a rock." Jay opened and closed his mouth like a fish, not knowing what to say.

"No, it's not, don't you see," Garmadon spoke up, deciding to be generous and save the Blue Ninja from embarrassment. "The edges are smooth; this rock has been rolled back and forth quite a lot."

He stepped forward and placed all four arms on one side and started to push. It moved a little, but not much.

"Well, don't just stand there, one of you help me!"

Cole, the Earth Ninja, moved forward, and, together, they rolled the heavy boulder away, revealing a long corridor.

"Good work, Jay," praised Wu. "Excellent eyes for spotting that." More quietly, he added to Garmadon, "And thank you, brother. If you didn't speak up, we would've been here all day waiting for Jay to find his words. Not a usual occurrence. Most of the time it's hard to get him to _stop_ talking. But Lloyd's absence has taken a toll on us all."

Wu patted his shoulder once, then followed the Ninja into the tunnel. Garmadon took a deep breath, and followed.

The corridor was definitely long, and many doors on either side. It was wide enough that the six of them, the Ninja, Wu and himself, could walk along side by side.

It was the door at the very end that interested him the most. It was purely metal, and Garmadon got a sick feeling of dread whenever he looked at it.

When they reached the end, he was the one directly in front of it. He reached a hand out to open but hesitated. He had a feeling he knew exactly what this room contained. He opened the door.

It was the Venge Stone room from the photos of Lloyd. Exactly what he thought it was, but it still came as a shock. He leaned on the doorframe for support. The set of chains that held his son in place were still hanging in the center of the room, but what sickened him the most was the pool of blood beneath them. Lloyd's blood.

"This is the place," Kai said.

"You mean _was_ the place. Where'd they all go? Did they know we were coming and scram?" Cole sounded as confused as Garmadon felt. Where _were_ they?

After a moment, Kai pounded a fist into the rock fall. "That son of a–" He muttered a series of profanities under his breath. "It was the Venomari I caught! After it woke up in the woods it must've high-tailed it here to warn Scales. Which means..." He swore again. "It was part of Scales inner circle! I _knew_ I shouldn't have let it walk away!"

Suddenly, Zane stiffened and his eyes glowed blue. He started beeping, alerting the others.

"Huh? What is it, Zane," Jay asked.

"My falcon spotted Scales and four other Serpentine, one from each tribe, heading toward the Caves of Despair."

"Oh, great. That place is constantly collapsing. We'll–"

"There's something else," Zane interrupted Jay's rant. "The four other Serpentine...they're carrying what looks like a sarcophagus made out of Venge Stone. By my calculations, it is a perfect fit for Lloyd, and I'm reading a heat signature inside."

"My son...We _have_ to go after them!" Garmadon was almost begging his brother. They had a perfect opportunity. Lloyd might not be able to last much longer.

"And so we will. Everyone, back to the Bounty. We'll cut them off the Caves. Then...we take back Lloyd."

Kai was bouncing up and down with anticipation. They finally had him. They know where Scales is going and they were going to meet him there. On foot, from the Anacondrai tomb to the Caves would take about a day. On the Bounty, only a couple of hours, but they had to go the long way around, to avoid being spotted or heard by the Serpentine. So it would take closer to five or six hours.

"Are we there yet," Jay asked for the fifty millionth time.

"For the last time, Jay, _no_! Be patient, would you?" Cole sounded as exasperated at the Lightning Ninja as Kai felt.

"I can't help it! We're finally rescuing Lloyd, after, what, four days! I was dying on the inside!"

"I think we all were," Kai said. "But imagine how Garmadon feels. Lloyd is his son. He's the most precious thing in the world to him, and, to make matters worse, they have to battle to the death one day. I think we've got it off easy."

"Wow, I guess I've never really thought about that." Jay was finally quiet, watching the desert of Ninjago fly by beneath them. For a whole hour, no one spoke. It should be a world record for how long Jay's been quiet. He's not even quiet when he's asleep; he either talks in his sleep or snores the whole night. Finally, the Blue Ninja spoke up again:

"Do you think Lloyd's alright?" His voice was quiet; Kai could just barely hear him.

"I mean," he added, "What if Scales faked everything, just to make us worry and freak out? Lloyd could be okay!"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Jay," Cole said. "But those pictures looked pretty real to me."

"What about the letter, then?" The poor guy sounded desperate now. "He still could've been lying about breaking his ribs and puncturing his lung."

"I doubt it," Zane spoke up. "Did you see how his lips were blue in that picture? He wasn't getting enough oxygen. I'd say that is a very real fact."

"Oh..." They all went quiet again. Several hours later, none of them had moved from their positions looking over the railing of the ship. Nya's voice over the intercom jarred them all out of their silence.

"If you look to the front of the ship, you will see we've arrived at the Caves of Despair. Ahead of Scales, too."

She landed the Destiny's Bounty, and everyone hoped off the ship, making their way toward the entrance to the Caves.

"Now," Kai said. "All we have to do is wait."

Lloyd was jarred yet again as the Serpentine stopped. By now, he was used to having every little bump against his body send waves of pain through him. It happened every thirty seconds.

"We're here," Scales said, and the Serpentine carrying his sarcophagus started up again, jostling him in the process.

A few minutes later, he heard a loud cry. It was muffled, but it sounded familiar. His mind was too fuzzy with the pain of his ribs and back to focus on it. The Serpentine stopped. Everything was silent for a long time.

A loud, piercing whistle echoed through the air, emanating from right in front of him. That could only mean it was Scales. Then chaos ensued. A humungous uproar started outside, and the familiar battle cries were lost in the clamor.

Out of nowhere, Lloyd felt temporarily weightless. Then the sarcophagus hit the ground, and his head bounced of the lid. Everything went black.

Garmadon watched as the group of Serpentine made their way toward the caves.

"Zane, what about that heat signature from earlier?"

"It is fading. Lloyd is most likely in that sarcophagus, and, if he is, he's dying."

Garmadon's grip on the rock tightened. He nearly exploded when they stopped. He couldn't take it any longer. He started to get up, but a strong grip on his bottom left arm stopped him. He looked back to see Wu holding him in place.

"Patients, brother. Just a little longer."

He felt his muscles tighten. "Fine, but as soon as they're with earshot, I'm going out and giving the snake a piece of my mind."

Wu nodded, and Garmadon sat back down. His entire body was on edge. His nerves couldn't take much more _waiting_.

When he could see the markings on Scales' head, he jumped up and ran from their hiding place. He tuned out the Ninjas' quiet protests.

"SCALES," he roared. The Serpentine stopped in their tracks. The Ninja and his brother flooded out behind him. Nothing was said for a long time.

Garmadon saw the Hypnobrai General bring his hand to his mouth and a loud, piercing taxi-cab whistle echoed in the dry, desert air.

They seven residents of the Destiny's Bounty turned as a rumbling sound came from the Caves behind them. At first, he thought it was just another cave-in, but then the entire Serpentine army flooded out, the three remaining Generals leading the charge. The air filled with the sound of thousands of hissing, blood-thirsty snakes.

"You take on the Serpentine," he called above the mighty chorus. "I've got Scales."

Jay, Cole, Zane and his brother all used Spinjitzu and ran off to take on the massive army. Nya called her suit and hopped in, slashing through the masses with her giant katana. He himself was ready to charge through the crowd and find Scales, when something grabbed his wrist.

Kai was there, and Garmadon could see the fury burning bright in his eyes. "Let me help you. Scales may have taken _your_ son, but he took _my_ brother."

The Dark Lord nodded once, and turned back around just in time to see the Venge Stone sarcophagus hit the ground. A fury rivaled only by the temperamental Fire Ninja beside him rose up, and he plowed through the throng of snakes, using his dark purple Spinjitzu.

Once he stopped spinning, he could see Scales trying to make a break for it, dragging the sarcophagus behind him.

 _Not on my watch._

Kai stopped spinning as well and followed Garmadon's gaze. The Red Ninja's own gaze hardened. In an unspoken agreement, they both moved toward him, shoving anyone and everyone out of their way. You could smell the blood-lust emanating from the two.

When Scales finally spotted them, they were only a few feet away. His eyes widened, and he abandoned the sarcophagus, slithering away at full speed.

In one swift movement, Garmadon pulled a sword from the hands of a dead Serpentine warrior, jumped, using Spinjitzu to propel himself even further, and landed right in front of the blue Hypnobrai General. With the force of his own momentum, Scales couldn't stop himself in time.

The sickening _shink_ as the snake impaled himself echoed across the battlefield. The other end of the sword was poking out of his back. Every single head turned their way. Garmadon was aware of the remaining Ninja, Nya, and his brother all pushing their way to the front of the circle that had formed around him, the snake, and the sarcophagus.

He pulled the sword out slowly, it making a horrible grinding noise as it rubbed against the scales of the Hypnobrai General. The snake's eyes were wide, staring at the weapon being removed from his gut.

When it was finally removed, Garmadon took a step back. Scales was still staring at the spot where the sword was, the gaping wound pouring blood and staining his once-blue scales a deep red.

Then he finally looked up and stared the four-armed man straight in the eye. Nobody moved.

Out of nowhere, Scales fell into a fit of coughing, causing the wound to convulse and more blood to flood out. When he looked up again, there was a trickle of blood running from his mouth. The snake spat a glob of the thick, red liquid at the Dark Lord's feet. Then he promptly collapsed to the ground, using his arms to support himself.

The fatally wounded snake started to laugh. It was delusional, something must've snapped in his head at the pain. The sound made many, including the Ninja, recoil, and make the circle wider.

"You're too late," Scales rasped, spitting out more blood. "The boy's been on the brink of death for hours. He's probably already dead." He continued to laugh, and his arms started to shake. The ground beneath him was soaked in his own blood.

His arms finally couldn't hold his weight any longer. The snake was weak from the loss of blood. He fell face first in to the crimson puddle, closing his eyes and letting out one final sigh. Scales, leader of the Hypnobrai, was dead.

Garmadon nudged the corpse with his foot, just to make sure. The snake didn't move. He looked up to face the army of Serpentine, and wiped the blood off his blade and onto the dead General's back.

The Serpentine scattered. All that was left were a few bodies and the remaining Generals. He raised his sword. They slithered off, following what was left of their kind.

Garmadon's attention was immediately directed to the Venge Stone sarcophagus. He rushed to it and pulled off the lid. His heart nearly stopped.

Lloyd's face was pale, a small trickle of blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. A large purple welt was on his forehead, and his blonde hair was dirty, matted with sweat and blood. His hands were cuffed in front of him with Venge Stone.

Garmadon sat cross-legged on the ground and pulled his son into his lap, easily breaking the cuffs with the inhuman strength granted to him along with four arms. He wiped Lloyd's hair out of his eyes, and brought his head down to listen and hear if his son was still breathing.

He was, and Garmadon sighed with relief, ignoring the Ninja's little cries of happiness. As he listened, though, he heard Lloyd's breath hitch once, and stop.

His whole body tensed. "No..." he muttered. "No, no, no, no, _no_!" Garmadon could feel his heart beating at a record speed. _This isn't happening. This_ can't _be happening!_

Wu rushed forward, holding a small cup. "Make him drink this," he commanded. "It's a special healing tea I keep on me at all times in case of emergencies. I think this qualifies."

Garmadon took the cup with shaking hands, moving slowly as to not spill it. Every drop was needed to save his son.

He gently opened Lloyd's mouth and poured the tea down his throat. Everyone held their breath.

Long after everyone, excluding Garmadon, had thought it failed, that it hadn't worked, Lloyd took a shuddering breath and his eyelids fluttered and opened, revealing hazy and unfocused eyes.

"Son..." Garmadon couldn't describe how he was feeling as he held his son close. The word he chose was euphoric. "You're alive!"

"Hey, Dad." Lloyd's words were muffled by his father's shoulder, and slightly slurred. Garmadon felt him wince. "Crushing me."

"Sorry." He relaxed his death grip slightly. Suddenly, Lloyd started to convulse in his lap, and his face twisted up in agony.

"What's happening? What's wrong with him," Garmadon asked in a slightly shrill voice as his son cried out.

"It hurts; make it stop!" Lloyd called out, making the Dark Lord wince. Wu stepped forward again.

"Relax, Lloyd; that's the bone mending itself. It will hurt." The long-time Sensei placed a hand on the Green Ninja's forehead and the boy let out a breathy sigh and fell back into a deep sleep.

"What did you do?" Garmadon asked as he stroked his son's hair. Already the welt was fading.

"I put him to sleep, so he'll be unconscious for the pain of healing," his brother responded. "He's been through so much already. It seems very cruel to make him suffer through the agony that is healing him. Only when the process is done and his body is fully restored will he open his eyes again."

Garmadon closed his eyes and took a second to take it all in, still stroking Lloyd's hair. He opened his eyes again and leaned down to whisper into his son's ear.

"You're safe now, son. Sleep."

Lloyd woke on a soft bed.

At first he thought this was some sick, cruel joke Scales was plying on him. His chest no longer hurt, he could breathe normally, and he was home, on the Destiny's Bounty.

As he looked around, though, he realized Scales could never pull something as realistic as this off. The snake had never even been _on_ the Bounty. Lloyd starting noticing little details that he'd never really acknowledged before now, like how Zane's bed was perfectly made, and Cole's was partially made, while Jay and Kai didn't even bother. And his bed was placed in the exact middle between the two bunks. He even saw the ends of a burn mark on the wall sticking out behind a painting.

Lloyd smirked at the memory. He was still little, Pythor had yet to awaken the great Devourer, so the Ninja still had their elemental powers, and he'd woken up an oversleeping Kai by placing the alarm clock right next to his ear and setting it off. The startled Fire Ninja had woken up fist burning and started blasting everything. If Lloyd hadn't ducked in time, his head would've been fried instead of that wall. In a poor attempt of hiding the mark, Kai had placed the painting over it.

 _Wait, if_ I _spotted the edges of the mark, Sensei's sure to have. I wonder why he let us off the hook._

Lloyd swung his legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand, but his legs were wobbly from disuse, and he had to grab the bedframe or support.

 _Whoa, okay. How long I was asleep?_

After he got used to supporting his own weight again, he took a shaky step forward. He didn't fall, but it took a while for him to make it over the bedroom door.

He stumbled along until he reached the bathroom. He stared, shocked, at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Nothing was wrong with him, all his wounds were healed and gone. It was the stubble along his jawline that surprised him.

 _Now I_ really _want to know how long I was out._

After grabbing a spare razor and carefully shaving his face, Lloyd made his way onto the deck. Just as he expected, the four Ninja were there training.

"Hey, guys." Lloyd winced at the sound of his voice. It was raspy and quiet from the disuse as well, so none of the Ninja heard him. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Hi, guys."

All four of them jumped and stopped what they were doing to turn and look at him. All of them looked shocked and relieved at the same time.

Suddenly, he was swarmed by them, and all of them started talking at once.

"OhmyGodLloydyourawake," Jay shouted, talking at a million miles per second.

"Thank goodness you're alright." Cole gave him a quick hug.

"We were starting to think you'd never wake up. You've been sleeping for nearly three weeks." Zane patted his shoulder.

"We missed you, kid!" Kai gave him a noogie.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, back up," Lloyd took a step back. He was feeling a little overwhelmed. "Three week? I've been out for three weeks? That's, like, a month!"

"We know," Cole said. "Like Zane said, we were starting to worry you'd never wake up."

"You were pretty banged up," Kai said. "You almost died"

"Correction," Zane said. "You did die. You stopped breathing for a minute and thirty-seven seconds."

"Yeah, and then Sensei put you in some weird voodoo trace that didn't allow you to wake up until your body healed. It took a whole month, even with the help of some magic healing tea." Jay's explanation, as always, involved a bunch of crazy hand gestures.

Lloyd's head swam with all the new information, but he had to ask. "What happened to Scales? Is he–"

"Dead." He jumped at the sound of his father's voice. He and Wu were descending the stairs that lead to the Bridge.

"Who–"

"I did. He should still be rotting away in the desert, if the vultures haven't gotten to him first."

Father and son stared at each other for a while. Then Lloyd ran and jumped into Garmadon's arms, catching the older man slightly by surprise, but quickly returned the hug.

"I'm glad you're finally safe," he whispered.

"Me, too, Dad," Lloyd whispered back.

Garmadon pulled back and held his son out at arms-length, top hands on his shoulders, bottom ones on his waist, and studied him. Suddenly, his face fell, and his were filled with remorse.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Lloyd was very confused. He was safe, now, right?

"I'm so sorry, son," his father said at last.

"Sorry about what?"

"The scars wouldn't heal." Garmadon looked away.

"What sc...Oh..." Lloyd's back involuntarily tensed. He could feel the ruined tissue stretch. The marks of the Hypnobrai and Constrictai were still there, and would remain there for the rest of his life. He smiled nonetheless.

"It's alright, Dad, it wasn't your fault," he said, pulling his father into another hug.

"But I could've stopped it all from happening," Garmadon cried, releasing his son. "If my stupid, stubborn pride had allowed me to say yes when Scales had confronted me the first time–"

"It wasn't your fault," Lloyd insisted. "Even if you did meet the demands, Scales probably would've kept me anyway. I'm valuable leverage against you guys."

Garmadon muttered under his breath, but Lloyd still caught it.

"That's exactly what Wu said."

Lloyd couldn't help but laugh. "If two people have told you the same thing, maybe you should listen to them. Especially if those two people are your brother and your son."

The look on his father's face when he said that was priceless, and made the Green Ninja laugh harder. "Besides, I'd still forgive you anyway."

Garmadon gave him a huge grin, his entire face lighting up. But that look soon turned to horror as he was enveloped in a golden aura. Lloyd scrambled back, and even Wu took a couple steps away from his brother. When the light faded, everyone's jaw dropped to the ground.

Garmadon was still standing there, but he had changed. His skin no longer was black, it was now the normal yellow color, and his second pair of arms had vanished. His jet-black hair had lightened into a grey, and he was wearing an old purple and white robe.

Cole recovered his voice first. "What...just...happened?"

"I...don't know." Lloyd had never seen his uncle at a loss for words. His father was just staring at his hands, flexing them.

"I feel...strange." Garmadon looked up at them, showing off his slightly wrinkled face. "It's a good strange. I no longer feel the impulse, the little voice at the back of my mind, pushing me to do the stuff I did. I'm...free."

The grin returned. "The Devourer venom is...gone. I'm not evil anymore!" His grin was contagious, and Lloyd felt one of his own tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I don't know how or why this happened," Wu said, approaching his brother again. "But it seems that Lloyd's willingness to forgive you and love you, even if you caused him great pain, triggered some sort of...reaction. Your son...cured you, brother."

Garmadon looked at him, still grinning. The whole group was; even Nya; Lloyd could see her behind the wheel.

"Now we can be a proper family," the former Dark Lord said, the grin turning more shy. "I-I-I mean, i-if you w-want to–"

Lloyd pulled both Wu and Garmadon into one last hug. "I would love that."

Kai couldn't help but smile. The three of them just looked so...happy. The only family he had left was his sister. His dad had died only a few months before Wu 'recruited' him to be a Ninja. His mother had left just after Nya was born. She really was all he had.

Suddenly he was pulled into a group hug by Cole. "Come 'ear, everybody. I'm glad to have you all as a part of my family."

Nah, who was he kidding? Nya may be his only _biological_ remaining family, but Cole, Zane, and Jay were just as much a part of him now. After working, training, and fighting crime alongside them for about three years now, he knew them like the back of his hand. He loved them like the annoying brothers he never had. Now Lloyd, and maybe even Garmadon, has been adopted in.

This really was about family after all.


	2. Far From Over

Lloyd could barely stand. His lungs burned. The Venge Stone chains holding him up seemed to drain his energy; like he had any to spare.

Suddenly, Scales was in front of him, appearing out of thin air. The snake waved a poisoned knife in the captured Ninja's face.

"Hold ssstill, little one."

He vanished. Lloyd's heart began to race, thumping in his chest. He knew what was coming. That didn't make it any less tolerable. If anything, it made it worse.

His back arched as the blade tore through his skin, branding him with the mark of the Hypnobrai Serpentine tribe. A scream escaped his lips as a sound like a gong echoed through his skull.

* * *

Lloyd bolted upright in bed, breathing hard, his heart beating wildly.

"Wake up, wake up, my pupils! It's Wednesday, which means sunrise exercises!"

Sensei Wu entered the Ninja's room, banging on his gong, while, Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane all groaned in unison.

The Green Ninja just sat in his bed. He needed to calm down. He was safe, on the Bounty. His father was good, and Scales was dead.

The scars on his back stretched as he finally climbed out of bed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his uncle watching him, concern only half-hidden in his face.

Lloyd made his way towards the closets in the back of the room, performing Spinjitzu to quickly change out of his striped pajamas into his Ninja suit.

Even that simple act of agility taxed him. It had only been six months since his rescue. Only five of those months was he awake. The magical month-long healing process had done a lot, but it wasn't a cure-all. The marks of the Hypnobrai and Constrictai were still there, permanently. Of all the things Scales had done to him, those were the worst, the ones he wished the most would go away.

Physically, he was fine. Mentally, he was a mess. Every night, he had the same nightmare. Every night, Scales was branding him. The Hypnobrai General may be dead and gone, but he haunted Lloyd constantly.

Lloyd was aware, though he tried to ignore it, that the Ninja, even his uncle and Nya, still tip-toed around him, like they were afraid they'd break him. Sure, he had been through a lot. He had been tortured and held ransom by the Serpentine. But he wasn't fragile. He wasn't made of glass, like the slightest push would send him toppling over the edge and shatter him.

He followed Sensei Wu, Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane single file to the deck. Before he left the room, he took a deep breath.

 _I'm safe._

"Swooping crane!"

The five Ninja got into formation. The stretches were easy; a warm-up that didn't strain Lloyd too much. They never were hard, even when he was little. Of course, they could always do this when they normally got up. Lloyd had a sneaking suspicion his uncle just liked the excuse to wake them up ridiculously early.

"Pinching crab!"

The whole hour of sunrise exercises, Lloyd was lost in thought. He ignored the other Ninja's idle talk. He couldn't stop thinking about his nightmare. It seemed too good to be true that he was home after what he'd been through, like _this_ was the nightmare, some twisted dream, and he'd wake up back in those chains underground, Scales laughing at him as he tortured him.

"Alright! We are done for now. Go get some breakfast. I believe it was my brother's turn to make it."

The Ninja all raced off. Once he had been cured, Garmadon had turned out to be a surprisingly good cook. Also, another plus side to that fact, whenever his father cooked breakfast, that meant it was Zane's turn to make dinner.

Lloyd made his way slowly into the dining room, the rest of the Ninja way ahead of them. He was tired, even though he had practically just woken up. He was so lost in thought, he didn't notice someone else coming down the stairs until he ran into them.

"Oh, sorry father. I didn't see you." He tried to move past the older man, but Garmadon stopped him.

"Another nightmare, son?" His father's eyes were full of concern. Lloyd sighed.

"Every night, Dad." Without warning, the Green Ninja began to tear up. "I-I-I know Scales is gone; you killed him, b-but I can't get him out of my head, like e-even after he's dead, he s-still w-wants to torture me."

Garmadon pulled Lloyd into a hug. "It's alright, Lloyd. We'll figure this out. You'll get through it." The former Dark Lord held him out at arm's length, a small smile on his face. "Trust me. Of all of us here on this ship, you are the strongest, and not just because of your power. If anyone else had to go through what you did, it be impossible for them to come out on top. They'd have cracked long ago."

"I thought I did." Lloyd's voice was small.

"Yes, but you mended them. The cracks are sealed, and you're stronger for it." Garmadon took a single step back. "Look at me! I thought nothing on this earth could reverse the damage done to me by the Great Devourer's venom. But you did." His father's voice was firm, resonating with his body, making him unable to argue further. Garmadon placed a guiding hand on his son's shoulder. "Come. It's much too early in the morning for all this seriousness. Let's go have breakfast, before the rest of our little family eats it all. I made French toast."

The Overlord seethed in the abysmal blackness he was forced to call home, watching the Green Ninja laugh and eat with the rest of those horrid Ninja.

 _'That foolish Serpentine.'_ His voice echoed strangely in the void. _'He does not realize what he has done. He has ruined_ everything. _'_

Images flashed through his mind. The Ninja trying to defeat the great Stone Warrior in the museum. The Serpentine, led by that retched Hypnobrai, reawakening the rest, locking themselves back underground.

The Dark Island resurfacing. The Green Ninja finding the Temple of Light. The Celestial Clock striking zero. The Final Battle. The possession of Garmadon. His ultimate defeat.

 _'Now_ none _of that will happen!'_ The Overlord was furious. Too many things were happening too fast, and just as many weren't happening fast enough. His millennium of preparation was useless.

 _'No matter. Now_ I _get to bend the rules a little. I must find a new host. The Final Battle_ must _begin.'_

He searched his mind for every malicious being to ever walk on Ninjago's soil. None were suitable. None were as perfect as Garmadon had been.

 _'Wait. Yes, you will do. You will do nicely. I like the code you live by. Only one can remain.'_

Pythor was weak.

 _Very_ weak.

And he didn't like it.

Wu was so _lucky_. Fate was always on the Ninja's side. In the months since the Great Devourer had been destroyed, it was all he could do to not die. The acidic, poisonous brew of the Devourer's insides had ruined him. His scales had gone from the majestic, deep purple of the proud Anacondrai to the stark white of an albino rat.

When the giant snake he'd released had been to nothing but piles of goo, Pythor had literally crawled away, in pain and thoroughly disgusted with himself. He was a member of the fiercest Serpentine tribe, and he'd dug himself a hole to die in.

But death would not come. No, fate wasn't done with him yet. For months, he hadn't moved, agony rippling through him as he whimpered and licked his wounds.

He'd almost been discovered by locals several times, but they never had a chance. He didn't have the strength to hunt them, or they'd all be dead. Instead, he played mind games with them. Whenever someone came close to his hiding spot, Pythor would turn invisible, leaving only his now glowing, blood-red eyes and mouth visible and hiss at them. It amused him to see how they'd run away in terror, eyes wide and screaming. These games were the only reason why he was still sane. He was pretty sure he was a local legend, now.

Currently, he was gnawing on a small squirrel that had gotten too curious and wandered into his den. He hated how he'd been reduced to a primitive snake, feeding off the local wildlife. He hated everything he'd become.

 _'Pythor.'_

He dropped the squirrel. Where had that voice come from? It had been raspy, and ancient. The thing that made his scales stand on end was the dark, sinister, evil tone it had.

 _'I know you can hear me. Follow my voice. Come to me, my host. It's time to let Ninjago feel your wrath, once and for all.'_

Pythor had no idea what 'host' meant, but the offer of finally getting revenge on this despicable rock overruled everything else. Slowly, he crawled out of his hole, blinking in the bright light of the full moon. His eyes hadn't seen any light in months. He stood tall in the night, his ancestral pride flowing back into his veins, his pure white scales reflecting all the light. He smiled as he set off, doing as the voice instructed.

Pythor was back.

And he was stronger than ever.

Lloyd couldn't help but smile and laugh all through breakfast, despite his previously foul mood.

First of all, his father was a _god_ when it came to French toast. He didn't even think Zane could do better. Second, Kai put on a show, and started slapping Cole, who was sitting next to him, with his pieces of toast. Cole just sat in shock for a moment while the rest of them cracked up, but then grinned widely and began to slap Kai back. Soon, everyone was slapping each other, except Garmadon, who was complaining about the waste of his French toast. But that all changed when Lloyd said "Come on, father," and hit him full in the face.

"Oh, it's on, son!" And just like that, all members of the Destiny's Bounty were engaged in the Great French Toast Slap War.

When most of their breakfast was all over them instead of eaten, the Ninja all filed out on to the deck to begin training.

"Alright, pupils," Sensei Wu called. "Today, my brother will be teaching your lesson."

Lloyd stood straight. This was going to be interesting.

"Today, I am going to be teaching you the Art of the Silent Fist," Garmadon said. "To fight, without fighting."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean," Kai questioned. Everyone else looked confused, too, including Lloyd. Garmadon just smirked.

"I'll demonstrate, if one of you would volunteer." Lloyd rolled his eyes when none of the other four did.

"I'll go, father."

Garmadon smiled. "Thank you, Lloyd. But please, no powers. We don't want to blow ourselves out of the sky."

Lloyd stepped forward. "So, uh, what do I do?"

"Attack me."

"Wait, what? But I don't want to–"

"Attack me, son."

"Okay, if you say so." He charged his father. It worried him when Garmadon didn't move out of the way, but he didn't slow. He'd just have to trust him.

Just when he was about to punch the former Dark Lord, he moved out of the way at lightning speed, and Lloyd's momentum nearly sent him straight over the railing.

 _How did he…?_

Determined not to give up, he tried again, this time using a flying sidekick. Just like before, Garmadon ducked just in time, and he crashed into the mast.

The Green Ninja was starting to get really frustrated. _How is he doing that?_ He flew at his father, using every move he knew, and every time, Garmadon dodged at the last second, smirk still plastered to his face.

Lloyd finally lost control. He skidded to a stop after another of his kicks was avoided and turned to face the older man. In his hand, a giant, bright green energy sphere formed, that, six months ago, would have been very difficult for him to achieve. It encased his whole body before Garmadon called out, "Easy, son. It is only a lesson."

Lloyd let the sphere dissipate into the air. He looked down in shame. "Sorry. I don't know what got into me."

Garmadon walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You let the anger take over." His tone darkened. "I know that feeling well."

His father walked over to Wu. "May I borrow our father's staff for a moment, brother?" Wu handed it over wordlessly. "You see," Garmadon said, walking back over to the five Ninja. "The key is balance." He placed the staff on its end, and it stood straight up, not wobbling one way or the other. "Let your opponent fight himself. Let the enemy tire himself."He grabbed the staff and handed it back to Wu. "Now you try. Pair up. Nya," Garmadon called up to the Bridge, "Would you like to join us and put the Bounty on autopilot for a while?"

"Sure thing." A second later, the six of them were in pairs. Nya versus Jay, Cole versus Zane, and Lloyd versus Kai. Once the teams were set, Garmadon shouted "Begin!" Then they were off.

"I'm not going to go easy on ya, kid," Kai said.

"I don't expect you to," Lloyd replied, smirking back at the Fire Ninja.

Kai lunged at him, shouting a battle cry. The Green Ninja waited patiently, resisting the urge to charge as well. Just before Kai landed his punch, he twisted out of the way, copying his father. The Red Ninja skidded to a halt and quickly spun around to try and kick him, but again, Lloyd avoided the attack.

Their sparring match went on for a long time, Kai throwing punches and kicks, and Lloyd weaving through every blow. It ended when Kai kicked off the mast and tried to kick him in the head, but he just ducked and Kai, surprised, twisted in mid air and landed flat on his back. Lloyd walked over and planted a foot on his chest, preventing the Fire Ninja from getting up.

"I win," Lloyd said, the same smirk from before they started still on his face.

"Yeah, yeah," Kai said, not even trying to get up, panting and sweating, "It's your turn now."

"How about you take a break first." Lloyd helped the worn-out Ninja to his feet, and they both walked over to where Garmadon and Sensei Wu were surveying the rest of the group.

"Good job, son. That was very excellent for a first attempt," his father praised.

"yeah, but you gotta hand it to Kai," he replied, throwing an arm around the Fire Ninja. "He's stubborn. Wouldn't give up till I pinned him down."

Garmadon chuckled, then resumed watching the others. He finally called Nya and Jay's match when the Samurai pinned the Lightning Ninja against the railing.

"Who was on offence," Lloyd questioned when Jay came over.

"Nya. We've had three matches and she's beat me every time. It's not cool."

Kai laughed. "Jay, that's so embarrassing. You were beaten by my sister three times?"

Jay's face turned bright red as Nya walked over. "Well, if you're so confident, Kai, why don't you fight me?"

Kai shook his head at his sister's request. "I couldn't possibly fight you. You're my little sister. I couldn't hurt you."

"Who says you'll be able to hit me?"

Now Kai's face turned red. "Oh, it's on."

Within five seconds, though, Kai was on his stomach with Nya on top him, screaming "Ow ow ow ow ow!" while Lloyd, Jay, Garmadon, and Sensei Wu laughed. Kai trudged slowly back over to the group, holding his shoulder as Nya bounced proudly over.

"Congratulations, Nya," Cole said. While the two siblings were 'fighting', the Black Ninja and Zane's match had ended in a tie, both Nindroid and man panting hard. "I've never seen someone put Kai in his place so fast. You should train with us more often."

"I do try." Her words were smug, and Kai glared at her before complaining loudly.

"I'm hungry. How long were we training for?"

Sensei Wu glanced up. "Quite a while. The sun in almost right above us. I guess it is time for lunch."

"I'll go whip up some sandwiches real quick." As Nya wandered off to the kitchen, the Ninja all began to talk idly about anything on their mind, while the two older men listened with amused expressions.

"Okay someone is going to have to come in and help me clean this mess up. There's French toast all over the dining room," the Samurai called.

Everyone immediately looked to Kai. He was the one who started it, after all. A moment later, Kai sighed and stood up from his place on the deck. "I'm coming, Nya!"

After the quick lunch of sandwiches, the Ninja quickly resumed training. To Lloyd, this new technique was very interesting.

"Alright, Kai," he said, getting back into formation. " _Now_ it's my turn."

Before the Fire Ninja could reply, Lloyd was coming at him with a kick. Kai barely had time to dodge. Blow after blow, both Ninja moved at incredible speed, Lloyd attacking with all he had, and Kai avoiding each one thrown at him.

They had barely begun when something happened.

Lloyd charged Kai, fist raised high, and the Red Ninja twisted his body to avoid being hit. As the Green Ninja passed, Kai's hand grazed his back, right over his scars. He stopped dead, face draining of all color.

"Ha! Take that, Lloyd! You haven't been able to hit me yet!" Lloyd didn't move. Kai's smug expression melted into one of worry. "Hey, kid. You alright?" It was then Lloyd's whole body seized up, and he collapsed to the deck. He barely heard Kai shouting his name. He curled into himself into a ball, shaking violently. His back burned. It felt like Scales was cutting into him all over again.

In the back of his mind, he knew that he was okay, that this was all in his head. The scars were healed; the only remains were pale white lines across his skin. But it felt so _real._ He ignored the tiny voice telling him he was alright, and instead chose to writhe around on deck, the unbearable pain only existing in his mind. He was only slightly aware of the crowd around him. It was when he finally passed out did he relax.

 _'Hmmm. Interesting.'_ The Overlord watched as the Green Ninja's body shook and twitched, clearly in pain. _'That could be very useful. Maybe that snake did some good after all. A weakness.'_

He returned his interest back to the Anacondrai he's selected as his host. The _last_ Anacondrai, to his understanding. All the more perfect. The snake was alone and weak. A wonderful opportunity to take advantage.

The trait that the Overlord most admired was his intellect. The Anacondrai was smart. Combined with his ruthlessness, it was a deadly combination. It could be very useful, but also a major problem, if he discovered he was being used.

 _'He was one of the best Anacondrai Generals in the Serpentine War,'_ the Overlord mused. _'And he ate the remaining members of his tribe to survive when they were locked away. He realized that, together, they'd all waste away. Instead, he made sure one would survive. Only one can remain.'_

He needed a way to test this Anacondrai. He needed to see how far he would go to get revenge.

Pythor picked his was across the mountains. The sun had risen hours ago, and its rays beat relentlessly against him.

 _'Stop.'_

He did, right on the peak. He was panting, unused to this heat and exertion from his months underground beneath the canopy of the forest.

 _'There. Hiroshi's Labyrinth. Make it through, and I will help you get your revenge.'_

 _But that's impossible! No one has ever made it through the Labyrinth with their sanity intact!_

 _'Make it through, and you'll get everything you ever wanted.'_

Pythor's desires warred with his instincts. The strange voice's offers tempted him greatly, but the danger of the infamous jungle countered it.

 _'What's wrong, Pythor? Are you scared? I guess you're weaker than I thought.'_

That made Pythor snap. He was _not_ weak! He was an Anacondrai! The fiercest, strongest, most feared Serpentine tribe! _No one_ called him weak and got away with it!

 _'That's the spirit.'_

He hissed. When he finally met who this voice belonged to, they were going to see how 'weak' he was. His resolve set, he started down the mountain, straight into Hiroshi's Labyrinth.

Lloyd woke with a start, his nightmare replaying itself over and over again in his head. He looked around. He was back in his bed. He briefly recalled how similar this was to when he first woke up on the Bounty after his rescue.

He swung his feet over the side of the bed and stood. Using the wall to support himself, he made his way to the door. As soon as he opened it, he was bombarded by Kai.

"Lloyd, you're awake!" The Fire Ninja had been standing outside the door. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah. I think so." The Green Ninja placed a hand on his temple, leaning against the doorframe as support. "But, um…Why are you apologizing?"

If it was possible, Kai's worried expression became even more worried. "You mean you don't remember?"

Lloyd shook his head. "Nope. I remember sparring with you and then…it's just blank. Why, did something happen?"

Kai glanced behind him before replying. "Well, when we were sparring, I accidentally brushed…you know. Your scars. And you went into fit. You were writhing around on deck. Your father looked about ready to kill me. But nothing was physically wrong. it's like you relapsed or something. It was terrifying."

Lloyd took a step back froom the Fire Ninja. "I-I'm sorry. I di-didn't m-mean to–"

Kai cut him off. "It's not, your fault, Lloyd. If anything, it's mine. I should've been more careful. Stop apologizing."

"But–"

"Stop. Maybe we should easy up on your training. I don't want to hurt you again. From now on–"

"No." It was Lloyd's turn to interupt. "I'm not made of glass, Kai. I'm not gonna break if you push too hard. I'm perfectly able to go on as normal."

"Today was proof that you're _not,_ though!" The Red Ninja raised his voice, but that only made the Green Ninja angrier. He couldn't ignore this any longer. If he had to prove himself to them, so be it.

"I said _no_! This is my decision! I understand you want to protect me, but I don't need it!" He grabbed the edge of the door. "Go away, Kai. Tell everyone that I'm awake and _just fine._ "

He slammed the door in Kai's face.

He began to pace the shared bedroom. His 'converstaion' with Kai had left him enraged. He needed to vent ourt his anger somehow, or he'd explode on the next person he saw.

Standing still in the dead center of the room, he concentrated, and almost instantly an orb of green energy appeared. He made it bigger, leting his rage flow into the power. He was angry at the Ninja, for treating him like he was broken. He was angry at his father, for not being there all those years. He was angry at his mother, who he's never even met, for adandoning him. Most of all, he was angry at Scales, for what the snake did to him. Thanks to him, he _was_ broken. He was a disaster. But he didn't want the pity that went with it.

Lloyd didn't even notice how big the sphere had gotten. It filled the entire room. Green light was shining through the windows, through every crack in the wood. Everyone above was bound to notice. He just hoped they wouldn't come down.

"Lloyd? Are you alright in there?" His stomach dropped at his father's voice, but it was too late. He released the sphere, shouting as his energy drained away, and everything went black.

The Overlord was getting restless. The Final Battle was supposed to have happened by now. His impatience was growing.

 _'The Serpentine have caused more problems than they've solved. Why did that old fool ever create them? We would never have had this problem if he hadn't.'_

He thought back to the first battle, the battle between him and the First Spinjitzu Master, as he was called. The Overlord had been winning, victory was _in his grasp_ , but the old man was a coward. He split Ninjago down the middle, separating the land he'd infected from the pure side. Then he locked him away, stopping the battle and delaying its end.

And now it was being pushed back further. The Overlord was never meant to win, he knew that, but that didn't mean he wouldn't give it his best shot. The future was always in flux, a fact he'd learned the hard way recently.

An explosion echoed through the abyss, powerful enough to shake the shadowy being. He searched Ninjago, looking for the source, annoyance twisting his thoughts.

 _'Ah. Of course. His power is linked to my prison. No wonder I felt it.'_ He played back the explosion, watching as the Green Ninja released the massive energy he'd collected.

 _'He should be more careful.'_ The Overlord wasn't worried about the boy himself. He just couldn't _stand_ much more _waiting_ if the Green Ninja got himself killed by overuse of his own power before the Overlord was freed.

He shifted in the abyss, the image fading from his mind. He was so _frustrated_ with this war between him and Ninjago. Naturally, the First Spinjitzu Master filled his mind, enraging him further. Suddenly, the Anacondrai creed popped into his head once more, and a large, twisted grin, contorted the Overlord's face.

Only one can remain.

And it _will_ be _him_.

Pythor smacked yet another large leaf away from his face. He was growing irritable. He thought the mountains were bad, but this… _this_ place was awful. It was hot and humid, and clouds of insects were everywhere, buzzing in his ears, and landing all over him. Luckily, the animals that undoubtedly resided in this horrid jungle steered clear of him. He was a predator, after all, and much more intelligent than those that were already here.

 _How am I going to get through? I have no idea where I am, or how to get out!_

 _'Patience, Pythor. You will escape. Use that cunningness I know you have.'_

Pythor jumped a mile when the voice rang out. _How long have they been watching me? No matter. As much as I hate to admit it, that voice is right. I must think._

He looked around. _What can I use to get out of here?_ All he could see were bugs, plants, and trees. A moment later, an idea struck him.

 _It might be generic, but it'll do._

Pythor glanced around, looking for a suitable tree, and when he found one, he began to scale it, agilely moving from branch to branch, using his long, flexible, strong tail as support when needed. The other Serpentine tribes may not belong in trees, but Anacondrai were different. They could master anything thrown at them.

When he got to the top, Pythor poked his head through the leaves and branches, and studied the area around him, the birds' eye view enabling him to see much farther.

 _I can't even see the end! This will take longer than I originally thought._

It was when he looked behind him and clearly saw the mountains as if he were still standing on them that he realized why.

 _No wonder! I've barely made any progress at all! If I am to make it through, I must move faster and make sure I'm going in a straight line. Otherwise, I'll be stuck forever!_

Suddenly, images filled his mind. It was of him, swinging on the plentiful vines that hung from the trees through Hiroshi's Labyrinth.

 _Oh you've got to be kidding me._

 _'It's a way to get around.'_

Pythor growled at the voice. He'd had a feeling those images were their doing.

 _'Go on. Just think of all the things Ninjago has done to you. Let the hate push you forward.'_

The snake sighed. He was probably going to regret this. He climbed down the tree and tentatively grabbed a hold of the first vine he saw. Leaning back, Pythor gulped once, closed his eyes, and swung forward.

As soon as his tail left the safety of the branch, he started screaming, his grip tightening tenfold on the vine. When he felt himself begin to slow down, he warily opened one eye, and leapt from his current vine, scrambling to grab a hold of the next one. His momentum carried him forward, and he was soon swinging through the trees, gradually getting better at jumping from one vine to the next.

Pythor moved through the Labyrinth at a lightning speed. _This was actually a not half-bad idea,_ he grudgingly admitted to himself. A dark laughter filled the air around him.

"Lloyd!" Garmadon panicked, seconds after hearing his son shout while releasing the huge orb of energy.

Pushing open the door, he saw his only child lying on the ground, unconscious. He quickly rushed over and held Lloyd close.

 _Oh no!_

Minutes later, however, his eyes fluttered open, and Garmadon let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Lloyd!" he cried. "Thank goodness you're alright! What happened? I was so worried. For a second, I thought I'd lost you again."

"Well, Kai. He kept insisting that I wasn't okay after he accidentally brushed against my scars. I started yelling at him that I actually _was_ okay, and I slammed the door in his face. Then, to vent out my anger, I conjured this huge orb of energy, only to release it and fall unconscious." Lloyd explained to his father.

"Oh I see... I'm still so glad that you're okay. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't."

Suddenly, Jay runs in.

"Something's going on in the Ninjago Museum of Natural History! We should go!" he exclaims.

Minutes later, they had arrived. The museum owner explained how the Great Devourer's venom has been leaking through the sewer system. He eventually led them to a gift shop where the Stone Army bobbleheads came alive.

The four ninja did spinjitzu, destroying most of them, however, one slipped free, going out the door. Wu ran after it, and destroyed it in a corridor. Suddenly a door opened.

"Misako?"

"Wu, it's been so long. Where's Lloyd?"

"He's in the gift shop... Oh, there he is. Everyone, this is Misako. She's Lloyd's mother."

"Mom, why did you abandon me?! I can't believe you!" Lloyd said, clearly frustrated. He promptly ran away to be alone.

"Lloyd, I-" she began, however it wasn't much use. She sighed in defeat.

Meanwhile, Lloyd was sitting by a massive sinkhole. Garmadon comes into the room.

"Son, what's wrong?"

"I met Mom, but I got really frustrated; she abandoned and left me at Darkley's years ago."

"It must've been for a good reason though. Lloyd, your mother loves you as much as I do."

Without warning, Lloyd began to cry. The two embrace when Misako, Wu, and the rest of the ninjas come in.

"Misako!" Lloyd's father called. "It's me, Garmadon."

"Oh, I missed you! What happened? I thought you were evil."

"Lloyd saved me. He's really disappointed that you had left him at the boarding school though."

"I was trying to research about the Final Battle to figure out how to prevent you and Lloyd from battling each other, but since you're no longer evil, it doesn't matter anymore."

Lloyd finally calmed down and embraced his parents. Everything seemed peaceful.

Misako continued, "But there's something I still haven't told you yet. Long ago, when the First Spinjitzu Master created Ninjago, another being was also created: The Overlord. He was created to counterbalance the light forces. The First Spinjitzu Master fought with the Overlord, but their powers were equally matched. Then the Overlord created the indestructible Stone Army. Knowing that he'd soon be defeated, the First Spinjitzu Master split Ninjago into two. Since then, there hasn't been any discoveries of the army until now."

"So that means the battle is still to come." Kai concluded.

Then Lloyd said, "Yeah. There's still hope. Me."

"Just another day in Ninjago, am I right?" Jay added.

"Yeah," Cole stated "pretty much. And I don't mean pretty as in beautiful."

Then Zane turned on his funny switch and started dancing and singing like he did when he found out he was a robot.

"Hello mah baby, hello mah honey, hello mah ragtime gal, send me a kiss by wire..."

Jay was cracking up, and soon, everyone else joined in.

Meanwhile, the museum owner was displaying a huge dormant stone warrior. Then, bright green venom dripped from the ceiling, and landed on the statue. It came to life. Everyone was running around, screaming like little children.

"WE'RE DOOMED!"

Suddenly, pineapples. They were falling from the sky and everyone was still screaming like little children. Then a crack opened up in the ground and zombies and plants came out of it.

Then Jay said, "Guys, I've got bad news: there's a zombie apocalypse!"

Then Kai said, "This is just priceless! The Final Battle hasn't started yet and we have to take out zombies! Oh great!"

The ninjas, Misako, Wu, and Garmadon went outside. The crack on the ground finally closed. Then, Nya got in ready position and thrusted her hands out. Water flowed from her hands and she stared at it in awe. She does spinjitzu, her dress changing into a dark red and light blue ninja outfit.

"Wow, Nya!" Kai and Jay said in unison.

"Guys, zombies..." Cole reminded them, seconds later adding, "I got an idea! Let's do the Tornado of Creation!"

Everyone agreed.

"Fire!"

"Earth!"

"Ice!"

"Lightning!"

"Ninja, Go!"

Minutes later, the zombies were defeated, and everyone fell asleep.

* * *

Everything burned. The venom mixture hurt so much. Lloyd screamed for help, but none came. It was way too much for the green ninja to handle all at once; it was that overwhelming.

* * *

Lloyd woke up, hyperventilating, and cried out loud. He was mentally 7 years old at that point. His father overheard and came in.

"Lloyd, I heard you. What happened?" he asked his son calmly.

"Dad, I was having another nightmare of Scales cutting me again. It hurt really badly."

Garmadon embraced Lloyd, and stroked his hair.

"Shh... It's okay. You're fine. I'm here now."

Everything was peaceful.

The next morning came. Lloyd and Garmadon woke up early, and made breakfast for everyone. Suddenly, they felt an earthquake.

Apparently, Pythor had traveled to the Island of Darkness, put on the Helmet of Shadows, and started the celestial clock, counting down to the Final Battle. The Stone Army had escaped from the tomb underneath Ninjago City, and the serpentine had retreated years ago.

Meanwhile, back at Destiny's Bounty, everyone panicked.

"Dad, what's going on?!" Lloyd said with concern.

"I don't know, Son." Garmadon replies. "We should ask your mother. Misako, what's going on?"

"It's as I feared. The countdown has begun."

"What countdown?" Jay added.

"The countdown to the Final Battle between good and evil." Misako said.

The next sentence was directed at Lloyd. "We have to go to the Island of Darkness to strengthen your powers."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Lloyd finished.

On the way to the dark island, Lloyd's out on the deck of the Bounty. The green ninja sighs softly, putting his head down on the railing.

"Son?" Garmadon asks Lloyd, approaching him slowly. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm _so_ scared, Father." he replies back, taking a deep breath to compose himself. "What if I can't defeat the Overlord? What happens next? It's a lot of pressure put on me all at once."

"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon," the former dark lord said calmly, holding his son close to him while stroking his hair.

"No matter what happens to me, I'll _always_ be a part of you, even when I'm gone. You have _always_ been one of the most important people in my life. Deep within, when I was still evil, I _never_ wished to harm you, in fact, I refused to, but the venom told me otherwise. You're my _only_ son; I don't want to lose you again. I've experienced this far too many times. Once when I lost my father, and years later when I thought I had lost you."

Garmadon pulled away to grasp his son's hands gently.

"Everything, just in that one moment, _completely_ fell apart for me, and I was overwhelmed with emotion. I thought I had lost you for good. But the thing is, you came back. Like I've told you before, you're strong, Lloyd. I love you very, _very_ much."

By the time the conversation was over, the Bounty had reached the Island of Darkness. The father and son looked out into the horizon as the sun slowly set. The two embrace once more.

"Lloyd, we're here." Garmadon told his son.

The two felt the Bounty touch down and everyone went to the control center room, known as the bridge. There, Misako explains that to find the Temple of Light, the ninjas have to use the medallion and find where the light matches the three holes.

Then she added, "For once the Green Ninja finds the Instrument of Peace, he will strike it and know the power of the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master. This means that you'll be able to use the Golden Dragon, a fighting style first used by the First Spinjitzu Master."

Lloyd was estatic. "Oh yeah! I'm gonna be so OP and-"

Jay then said, "Woah, woah... Don't get all excited too quickly; we still have a battle to finish..."

"Oh, alright then. Let's do this!"

In a matter of minutes, the 6 ninja, including Nya, left to find the temple.

"I spy...another tree!" Jay said while looking through the medallion.

"Oh Jay," Cole said, taking the medallion from the master of lightning, and looked through it. "How did you ever become a ninja? Anyways, I found the temple."

The ninjas returned back to the Bounty to get supplies to head to the temple.

"Guys," Lloyd said, "We're back."

Then they did the Tornado of Creation to build a new vehicle, and the ninjas, as well as Sensei Garmadon got inside. They headed to the temple. Along the way, however, they were pursued by Stone Warriors.

"We're being followed!" Jay told everyone.

"Dad, speed up!" Lloyd urged his father, who was the one driving.

"Okay!"

The vehicle sped up and the ninjas manage to outrun the warriors.

Zane told everyone, "We made it to the mountain; now we gotta climb it."

They used the Tornado of Creation again, turning the vehicle into a mech. Sensei Garmadon drove it up the mountain. Once they had reached the top, the ninjas, except for Lloyd and Garmadon went inside the temple. The father and son had a little moment together. The green ninja sighed.

"Dad, I'm _so_ scared. I've never had this much pressure put on me at once. It's a lot to take in. I've been through so much over the past few months with Skales and everything. It's overwhelming."

"You're okay. Me, Wu, your mom, and the other ninja are here for you. You're not alone in this, Lloyd. We should probably head inside."

"Alright."

The two embraced, and went inside the temple.

At the Overlord's base, Pythor was telling the Stone Army to build a super-weapon, and gather a large amount of dark matter.

"It's going very well. Soon, All of Ninjago will bow down to me, and the Green Ninja will be destroyed. Then, the world will be _mine_!" The Overlord told Pythor.

Back at the Temple of Light, Garmadon and the ninjas have entered it.

"Okay, now what?" Lloyd said.

Then he remembered what Misako had told him: 'For once the Green Ninja finds the Instrument of Peace, he will strike it and know the power of the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master.'

"The bell," Lloyd realized. "That's the instrument! You guys ready for this?"

The other five ninjas nodded in agreement while Garmadon stepped back. Then Lloyd jumped to a pillar, then to the bell, hitting it. A light emerges.

"Woah!" Lloyd exclaims. "What's happening?!"

Suddenly, the light reflects off of the metal part of Lloyd's mask, hitting several crystals. In rapid succession, the five ninjas gain new kimono outfits and an elemental blade.

Then Kai exclaims, "Everyone, send in your powers!"

All the powers are aimed at the Green Ninja. Lloyd summons a golden dragon, then collapsing. He too had also gained a kimono outfit.

"Lloyd!" his father cried out, rushing to the newly empowered Green Ninja. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine."

The Stone Army arrives and the ninjas launch into battle. Eventually, Lloyd summons his dragon, forcing the army to retreat.

Back at the Bounty, Misako and Wu were watching the monitor on the bridge. They saw the elemental powers come out from the temple and cheered.

"The ninjas did it!"

The ninjas had already reached the Bounty. While Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, and Nya were testing out their powers, Lloyd sat alone on the other side of the beach. His father comes over.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I'm still so scared. But this battle probably would've been even more tragic if you were still evil."

"I know. What I've done in the past was horrendous. I have my regrets. But the thing is, I never stopped loving you. Lloyd, you mean the world to me. I love you, very dearly."

Garmadon embraces his son, who, without warning, begins to cry.

"Shh... You're okay, you're okay." he reassures the young ninja.

Meanwhile, Pythor and the Overlord have made it to the coast. The weapon is fired multiple times, the metamorphosis begins and they all teleport to Ninjago City. There, the weapon turns into a huge fortress, while the Overlord changes into a dark dragon.

Back at the island, Lloyd notices a dark sphere hovering Ninjago City.

"Dad, what's that?"

"Oh no... Lloyd, we have to tell the others."

The two went over the the ninjas, then everyone else came.

"We have to go to Ninjago City; the Overlord is there." Lloyd informed the others.

Everyone packed up and boarded the flying ship. They flew to Ninjago City.

"Oh my gosh!" Kai said.

"Guys, I have to get to the top and fight the Overlord." Lloyd told everyone.

"Tornado of Creation?" Nya suggested.

"Let's do it!"

Nya, Lloyd, Misako, Wu and Garmadon step back.

"Fire!"

"Earth!"

"Ice!"

"Lightning!"

"Ninja, Go!"

The Tornado started sucking up all the warriors, giving Lloyd the chance to climb the tower unopposed.

"Lloyd, go up!" Garmadon told his son.

The Green Ninja runs up the tower, reaching the top. This was inevitable.

"Overlord, I have come here to fight you." Lloyd said confidently.

"You're too late! Evil has already won!"

"But a ninja never quits. Hi-yah!"

Lloyd manages to push the Overlord off the building, buying him time to use his powers. With them, he creates a golden dragon, also causing his ninja outfit to become golden too.

"I am the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master." Lloyd declares.

The dragons fly down, both Lloyd's and the Overlord's. Multiple attacks are launched. When they reach the top, the Overlord summons this mysterious cloud of darkness, isolating themselves from the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, Wu, Garmadon, Misako and the 5 other ninjas are observing the battle from below.

 _Oh no..._ Garmadon thought to himself. _Is he okay?_

"Where there's light, there'll always be shadow!" the Overlord declares.

Lloyd then retorts, "Unless my light is bright enough!"

The Overlord engulfs Lloyd, chuckling evilly. However, his victory is short-lived; within the dragon, Lloyd pushes his powers to the limit, causing the Overlord to finally succumb to the light.

"NOOOO!"

And the battle was over.

Light had finally returned to Ninjago. Everyone rejoiced. The 5 ninjas, Misako, and the two senseis crowded around the crater by where the fortress once stood.

Lloyd flies down on his dragon and dismounts.

"I...did it. I actually did it!" He said happily.

The Ultimate Spinjitzu Master was unable to contain it any longer. Without warning, he ran, collapsing into his parents' arms and sobbed. He was overjoyed.

"Oh, Lloyd! We knew you could do it! We couldn't be more proud of you!" Garmadon praised.

"Thanks, Dad." Lloyd whispered softly. "It really means a lot."

Pulling away, Lloyd joins the rest of the ninjas, shooting all their powers into the air.

"Ninja, Go!"

* * *

Lloyd's POV:

It's been a day after the Final Battle and me and the other ninjas are in the Bounty's game room, playing Fist to Face 2. Then, my father pulled me aside, out onto the upper balcony at the back of the ship.

"Son, I'm so proud of you. I really do mean it." he told me.

"I know..." I replied softly

All evil was destroyed, but the tragic memories still remained. Without warning, I sobbed, leaning against the wall, hands covering my face. I was overwhelmed.

Garmadon's POV:

Instantly, I came to my son's side. I was really concerned for him.

"Are you alright? You seem troubled. What's the matter?"

Lloyd leaned over into me, then very softly saying, "Dad, I'm scared. I had another nightmare last night of Skales cutting me. It really hurt. The worst part about it was that it actually happened twice. Skalidor did it too."

I embraced him, stroking his soft blonde hair. _He's still just a young child inside, yet he looks and usually acts much older. He's been through so much over the past several years, and has matured so fast. I'm very proud of him._ I smiled, shutting my eyes. _Lloyd, you have always been an important part of my life. I love you so very much, and I don't want to lose you. I deeply care about you, Lloyd; you mean the world to me._

"Lloyd, you're fine now. It's alright." I consoled him.

Kai came over and asked, "Is Lloyd alright?"

"Not really, Kai. He's been through a lot over the past several months, with Skales and Skalidor cutting him, as well as the Final Battle. I have also experienced a lot of pain as well. When Lloyd died, I just couldn't believe what had happened. I was heartbroken; devastated even. He was, and still is, my whole world, but when he died, I completely broke down; it just...hurt me internally." I said, softly crying out the last few words while I closed my hand into a fist. I was clearly overwhelmed.

"Dad?" my son asked, his voice full of concern.

I sighed, closing my eyes, taking deep, steady breaths, in an attempt to calm myself down. My hand opened back up again.

"Lloyd..." I addressed my son, grasping his hands, speaking calmly. "I completely understand. It's just been so, _so_ hard for the both of us. But we'll get through it together at some point. I really wouldn't have it any other way."


	3. Full Digital

Lloyd had defeated the Overlord and peace had returned to Ninjago. Then, things changed. Cyrus Borg, a famous inventor decides to remake Ninjago City, due to the destruction caused by the battle between the Golden Ninja and the Overlord. And so, New Ninjago City was created. Borg Industries, the main centerpiece of the city is built right on top of where the Overlord's weapon once stood. However, the Overlord's spirit managed to survive the battle, becoming a computer virus.

As for the ninjas, they're still staying at the Bounty. Suddenly an alarm goes off. _Bee-do, bee-do, bee-do..._

"Oh my goodness! What the heck was that?!" Jay exclaims.

They all head over to the Bridge, the control center of the Bounty, and find out more about what is going on.

"There's something going on at New Ninjago City," Nya reports. "Apparently the Overlord is back as a virus and has taken over all the computer systems there. We have to go."

"Then what are we waiting for. Let's ship out!" Lloyd says.

Meanwhile, in another room, Garmadon, Misako and Wu are having a little tea break. Lloyd rushes in.

"Mom, Dad, Uncle, there's been a problem in New Ninjago City, just to let you guys know."

"Lloyd, what happened?" Garmadon asks his son.

"The Overlord is back and he's now a virus taking over the computer systems."

"Oh no... I thought you defeated him."

"I did, but then he came back."

"This is really bad, then."

"Yeah it is. We're heading there right now."

Lloyd looks out the window, and sees that they have arrived.

"Oh, we're here now."

While the six ninjas left for Borg Industries, Garmadon was in his room. He recalled the time when Lloyd had died in his arms, but was resurrected.

* * *

Garmadon had heard his son's breathing stop, and he gasped. His eyes began to well up with tears.

" _Lloyd!_ My son! You...You _can't_ be!"

In utter disbelief, he began muttering the word "no" to himself repeatedly while holding Lloyd's body close. Tears freely flowed from his eyes, as he slowly accepted the fact that his son was truly dead.

"Lloyd..." He cried out softly. "No, Son...Please...I _won't_ be able to live like this...You were so young...I-I just want you back...L-Lloyd, please come back to me... _Please_ _come back_..."

He sat there sobbing for several seconds, releasing everything. After a while, Wu then gave him a cup of healing tea, and told Garmadon to let his son drink it. He slowly took the cup from him, trying to spill as little as possible. Eventually, after the teacup was drank from, Lloyd finally woke up.

"Son...!" the dark lord cried out euphorically, "You're alive! I can't believe it!"

* * *

Garmadon sighed.

 _Lloyd, I'm coming, okay?_

He got up from his bed and started on his way to Borg Industries.

The ninjas had reached Borg Industries.

"Welcome to Borg Industries. I am P.I.X.A.L.: The Primary Interactive X-ternal Assistant Life-form. Mr. Borg wants to speak with you on the 100th floor of the building. Thank you for visiting."

While the ninjas headed to the elevator, Zane stared at Pixal. He was awed by the fact that there was another android like himself. Suddenly, Garmadon entered the building.

"Lloyd, wait! I'm coming with you." He called out.

"Okay. Let's go up!"

The six ninjas as well as Sensei Garmadon entered the elevator and went up to the 100th floor.

Cyrus Borg came from behind his desk. He wore a simple gray sweater, some glasses, and black pants. His black hair was neatly styled, and he rode on a wheelchair.

Jay went into hysterics. "Oh...My...Gosh! It's Cyrus Borg! You are so awesome! I need to take a selfie with you! You're my idol!"

Cole rolled his eyes. "Okay... Here we go again..."

Zane slowly approached him. "Hello Cyrus." he said politely.

"Hello, Zane. I'm so sorry about what happened to your father," Cyrus expressed solemnly. "He was a great person who would've fit right in. I've known him for a long time. We were best friends growing up."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Zane replied "I've gotten over it now."

Then Cyrus addressed everyone else. "I wanted you to come because I have discovered a virus in the systems: the Overlord Virus. He wants the Golden Power, so he can return to his physical form. You have to protect it. I have made new ninja outfits which can scramble the face recognition signals and will prevent you from being detected. You'll also have to protect the technoblades. They can hack into the computer systems. Together they can also reboot the system of the master computer and destroy the Overlord Virus for all of eternity. You'll need to get them out of the city as fast as you can. Good luck."

"Thank you." Lloyd said, doing spinjitzu to change into his new ninja outfit. Everyone else follows in quick succession. "Everyone, let's head back to the Bounty. C'mon!"

Moments later, they had reached the Bounty. The ship then flew away from the city. Everyone onboard were fast asleep.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A loud, screaming noise echoed through the halls of the serpentine tomb.

In another room, the destined Green Ninja was suffering from excruciating pain. General Skales of the Hypnobrai was cutting his tribe's symbol on the prisoner's back. It hurt. It _really_ hurt.

Minutes passed, and the cutting was done. However it was still so painful. Liquid fire was flowing throughout his system.

Lloyd fainted in both exhaustion and severe pain.

* * *

Lloyd woke up, running into his parents' room, hyperventilating the entire time. His father woke up.

"Lloyd, what's the matter?" he asked calmly, yet also at the same time with much concern.

"A-another nightmare... Skales was cutting me yet again. D-Dad, I'm terrified." Lloyd replied hesitantly.

The two embrace one another.

"Oh..." Garmadon sighed softly.

"Dad? Can you sleep with me?"

"Of course. I'd love to."

A little while later, the two settled into Lloyd's bed. Garmadon held his only son closely while closing his eyes. It comforted them both.

"Lloyd, it'll be fine. I'm right here." he whispered. "It's just a nightmare, Son. Okay? Don't worry."

Meanwhile, the Overlord took over the factory lines and created a massive army of nindroids.

"Evil is coming..."

The next day came.

"Sensei Garmadon, what are you doing over here?" Jay asked.

Garmadon sighed. "Lloyd had another nightmare last night, he got scared, and wanted me to sleep with him. Besides, he's only 10 years old; he's so much younger than the rest of you."

Jay nodded in understanding. "Oh, alright." he replied. Then he sat next to the Green Ninja, who was still sitting on the bed, putting a hand on him in reassurance. "Lloyd, it's fine now. I'm here, your dad's here; we'll all be here for you if you need anything. Just ask, okay?"

"Thanks Jay."

Nya suddenly ran into the room.

"Nindroid forces spotted in Jamonakai Village!"

Moments later, they all went to the bridge, and flew to the village.

"You guys go on ahead," Garmadon said to the other five ninjas. "I'll stay back with Lloyd."

The ninjas launched into battle.

"Tornado of Creation, guys! Fire!"

"Earth!"

"Ice!"

"Lightning!"

"Water!"

"Ninja, Go!"

A huge tornado appears, sucking up all the nindroids. Meanwhile on the Bounty, Garmadon left for a while. Suddenly, a net comes up, capturing Lloyd.

"DAD!" he cried out.

"LLOYD!" Garmadon exclaims, coming to where he was before.

Then Misako and Wu came out.

"They've taken him."

Garmadon gazed out into the distance, attempting to hold back tears, and sighed softly. Misako and Wu headed back inside. The rest of the ninjas got back into the flying ship.

"Garmadon looks distant. I'm gonna talk to him alone, okay?" Kai said to the rest of the team, excluding Lloyd.

The other ninjas nodded and left.

"What happened? Where's Lloyd?" he asked, placing a hand on Garmadon's shoulder.

"They took my son away from me... Again." Garmadon replied softly, hurt clear in his voice.

He then continued, suddenly raising his volume, "But I'm terrified! I don't know _what_ they're gonna do to him! I've constantly tried to keep Lloyd safe, but it hasn't been enough! I just don't get why this _always_ has to happen to me! I _can't_ stand it anymore!"

The former dark lord was unable to control his emotions. He stopped talking, and resorted to collapsing to his knees, sobbing in pure anguish. All Kai could do was watch empathetically, kneeling down to Garmadon's level.

 _Oh, man..._ Kai thought to himself. _Lloyd being captured for the third time must have_ really _affected him deeply._

Eventually Garmadon calmed down, and the two went to dinner. It was really quiet the rest of the night.

Garmadon woke up early, trying to pinpoint his son's location. He sighed in relief when he discovered that he was underneath Borg Industries.

"I found him!" he called out.

Everyone woke up and went to the Bridge. They headed out to New Ninjago City once again. Then the 5 ninja and Garmadon went down the manhole underneath Borg Tower.

Once they had arrived, they saw Lloyd strapped to a machine. He had 10 percent of his golden power left inside him.

Garmadon pressed the emergency stop button and the entire process ceased. Lloyd was freed from the machine. The five ninjas minus Lloyd managed to reboot the system. They all fled from the room. Unfortunately, though, the Overlord had gained a semi-physical body.

Back at the Bounty, Lloyd finally reunites with his family.

"Lloyd! Oh, Lloyd... I am so, _so_ glad that you're alright! I literally freaked out; I was just so frightened that you weren't going to be okay! I didn't even know what they were doing to you!" Garmadon cried out, embracing his son tightly. He truly was elated.

Lloyd embraced him back, tears freely falling. "I-I've missed you, Dad!"

"Lloyd! I've missed you too!"

After Lloyd's rescue, it seemed as if there wasn't any more evil to fight. However, that wasn't the case. Suddenly, Pixal flew in on a hover copter.

"I have troubling news. The Overlord has escaped and now has a semi-physical form. They are at the lost city of Ouroboros You should head over there." Pixal said.

"Okay. And Pixal, I've admired you ever since I saw you in Borg Industries. Are we compatible?" Zane asked.

"Yes, Zane." Pixal replied back. "Yes we are. I'd love to stay with you."

"Son? Can I tell you something?" Garmadon began.

"Yeah sure, Dad."

"Let's go somewhere else. Come on."

Lloyd and his father left to be alone together. The ship began to fly to Ouroboros.

"As I was saying, when they took you, it _really_ terrified me. I cried for hours. Literally. I was _that_ scared. I'm not scared anymore, though. Now I'm just glad that you're back. Here, safe with me. I'm loving every second of it. I am, Lloyd. I really, truly am. I love you..." Garmadon acknowledged.

"I love you too." Lloyd replied simply, tightly embracing his father, who returned it.

They felt the bounty touch down.

"Okay, Lloyd. We're here."

Lloyd, his father, and the five other ninjas left the ship. They went over, falling into a hole. They got down and saw Pythor. Apparently, he also survived the Final Battle.

"Pythor?!" Kai said suspiciously. "How did you survive?!"

"None of your business, Fire Boy!" he retorted.

Garmadon sighed, turning to his son. "Lloyd, stay with me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Ninja, Go!" Lloyd exclaims, whirling into a green spinjitzu tornado.

Then Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane and Nya followed, creating red, dark blue, black, white and light blue tornadoes respectively. Then Garmadon created a purple tornado.

"Retreat!" Pythor called out to the nindroids. "To the rocket!"

In a moment's notice, the Anacondrai General and the nindroids had boarded.

"I'm going." Lloyd said firmly. "Who's with me?"

The rest of the ninjas nodded in agreement. Garmadon, however, was reluctant to come on.

"Dad? Are you coming?" the Green Ninja asked his father.

"Lloyd! What do you think you're doing?!" Garmadon protested. Then he sighed, brushing away the thought. As much as he wanted to stay with his son and keep him safe, he realized that he really should let Lloyd make more of his own decisions. "Oh, forget it... I'm gonna come."

He got in, and the doors were closed. The rocket took off.

"Looks like we're going into space..."

Minutes had passed and the rocket had made its way out of the atmosphere. The ninjas, minus Zane, and Garmadon had put on space suits.

"Oh my goodness! It's like Fritz Donegan and the Imperial Sludge all over again!" Jay exclaimed

"Oh..." Lloyd remarked. "Why did I ever have to tell you about it? It's all my fault. I went there to figure out how to get rid of the Grundal."

"No, it was mine. I turned evil, stole the weapons, and unleashed the Grundal. I _deliberately_ tried to destroy the other ninjas just so that you couldn't unlock your true potential. I'm sorry, Lloyd." Garmadon apologized guiltily.

"Don't be, Father." Lloyd insisted. "I physically grew up through that experience."

"Thank you, Son. Really. Now we gotta wait until they arrive on the comet." Garmadon said.

The ninjas and Sensei Garmadon made it to the comet. They followed the nindroids to where the Golden Weapons had landed, when the Mega-Weapon was sent off into space. When they got there, however, it was too late. The Weapons were already taken.

Wu, Pixal, and Misako managed to contact the ninjas and Garmadon.

"How are things holding up?" Wu asked.

Lloyd announced sadly, "They've taken the weapons already... And the rocket can't get off the ground... We're not gonna be able to come home..."

Then the connection broke. The seven of them all returned back to the pressurized rocket, taking off their space suits. While the other five ninja were socializing, Lloyd was crouched into a ball as he looked down, shaking his head in disbelief. He felt dejected that they were unable to stop their enemies.

Garmadon sighed, sitting down next to his son. "Hey. What's the matter?"

"Dad, I'm so scared." The Green Ninja explained, turning to his father. "We failed to get the weapons. Who knows what'll happen next. Ninjago could end up in grave danger yet again."

"Son, I know it's disappointing. Come here..."

Lloyd leaned into his father, who held him close.

"It's alright." Garmadon said. "Nobody is completely perfect. We all make  
Mistakes sometimes. When I was younger, I didn't know better than to venture beyond the monastery. I was bitten by the Devourer and was turned evil for a very, _very_ long time, until that one fateful day, when you saved me, Lloyd. I remember it like it was yesterday. I truly was overjoyed. You were saved and I reverted back. Things finally ended up working out. I loved everything about that moment."

At long last, the two of them finally were at peace, and they fell asleep.

Everyone woke up the next day and used their powers to re-power the rocket ship. Eventually they headed back. Once they reached the atmosphere, they used spinjitzu to soften their falls, landing on the Bounty. However, when they reached Ninjago City, it had transformed into a massive fortress.

"Oh no..." Jay said. "How are we supposed to get into there?!"

Then Cyrus Borg video called everyone, and it showed up on the screen in the Bridge of the Bounty.

"I am waiting in the Temple of Fortitude. I have a weapon which'll weaken the Overlord for good." he said.

"Temple of Fortitude? That was left over from the Stone Wars. The Overlord used it as a base to shield himself from the First Spinjitzu Master's Golden Powers." Wu told everyone.

"Hmm... That seemed like a very clever move..." Garmadon commented. "What are we waiting for? Let's move out."

Nya set the course for the Temple, and they headed on their way.

Eventually they made it over to the Temple. Nya somehow ended up getting caught in a battle with some nindroids, but everyone else managed to get inside.

"So we have something that can stop the Overlord?" Jay asked.

"Yeah." Cyrus replied. "I call it a Nano-Pill. It's just basically a shrinking pill."

"Wait a minute. You're telling me we gotta get close to the Overlord, who has armor which at a mere touch could obliterate us, and you want us to give him a _PILL?!"_ Kai overreacted.

"Yeah. Pretty much."

"Hey, Brother, remember when we were younger, and we played a game called Temple Gate Tigers?" Wu recalled.

"Yeah. I threw a really good curve-ball, and your stick could hit it really far. We never lost." Garmadon said.

"Get us close. We are going to do it again."

The ninjas were given Stone Armor to protect themselves from the Golden Power of the Overlord. Then they began to make their way over to Borg Tower, where the Overlord was attacking from. Misako had decided to stay back.

"Ninja, Go!"

The ninjas and the two senseis launched into a massive spinjitzu attack, taking out many of the nindroids on the way to Borg Tower.

Eventually they made it.

"Wu, let's do this." Garmadon told his brother, who nodded in agreement.

Then Wu was thrown up on golden beams that the Overlord had created and hit the pill that was thrown up to him by Garmadon. However, it ended up being swallowed by Pythor instead and he shrunk.

"What have you done to me?!" Pythor exclaimed lividly. His voice was high-pitched, due to the fact that he had been shrunk."

"That was it?!" the Overlord menaced. "That was all you've got?!"

The Overlord created beams of golden energy, capturing the ninjas and their senseis. However, Zane managed to evade them.

"Support me, friends," he declared. "For one last time."

He leapt onto the Weapons, grasping them. The Overlord told the nindroid that he would not be able to survive. He refused to let go. Everyone else had to go into the manhole. Then Zane exploded.

Pixal reunited with Cyrus, seeing Zane's explosion.

"No..." she cried.

The remaining five ninjas, and the two senseis exit from the manhole. They all approached where Zane's explosion had occurred.

Nya, Kai, Cole, and Jay sobbed into each other, while Lloyd sobbed into his father's arms. Wu came and placed his hand on his nephew's back to assuage him.

"Lloyd, I understand." Garmadon said austerely. "I miss him too."

The next day, Cyrus held a memorial service for Zane and his heroic accomplishments. Everyone who knew him came. Pixal didn't want to go, however.

Cyrus stood up in front of the crowd, and addressed them: "Thank you for coming. The Overlord has been defeated, but with a terrible price. Zane had sacrificed himself to save us all. He will be missed. And now, Kai would like to speak for those who knew him best."

Kai came to the front of the crowd and said, "All of us wondered what powered Zane. I'm not sure when we'll know, but I'd like to think it was brotherhood, because he powered me, all of us, for that matter. Wherever you are, you will _always_ be a part of us. You will _never_ be forgotten. Goodbye Zane."

Cyrus unveiled a titanium statue in Zane's honor. Snow began to fall.

Meanwhile, back at Borg Industries, Pixal was mourning the loss of Zane also. However, when she listened closer, she could hear the memories of them together. She followed the sound to the factory line.

"Are we compatible now?"

Once they reached the Bounty, the ninjas and Wu left to their own devices. Lloyd was in his father's bedroom, sitting on the bed, head looking down, and sighed, attempting to hold back tears. He was filled with grief and very distraught. Garmadon came into the room and sat down on the bed beside his son.

"Come here, Lloyd." he said in a gentle manner, as he pulled his son close to him protectively in a tight embrace. "Don't hold it back. You can let it out. It's okay."

Lloyd, unable to hold it in any longer, began to cry, tears streaming down his face.

"Lloyd, it will be okay."


	4. Rise of the Anacondrai

All was peaceful on the Bounty. Misako, Wu and Garmadon were staying to guard it while the remaining 5 ninjas went to Mister Chen's Noodle House for lunch.

"Come on! Zane is irreplaceable!" Cole protested.

However, before they could argue anymore, the door opened. Two thugs came out, trying to steal money. A fight began. Cole started eating the food that was coming from the conveyor belt. Eventually, the thugs ran to a small area behind the restauraunt.

"Oh, what's that?" Nya asked.

"It's a note." Lloyd replied. "It says that Zane is alive. Apparently, if we want to get Zane back, we have to participate in Master Chen's Tournament of Elements. He also told us to not bring our weapons or tell anyone else about it. We have to go to the docks at midnight in order to get to the tournament."

"Wait a minute... Mister Chen, the same guy who is stuffing our bellies with delicious noodles is actually _Master Chen_?!" Cole commented.

"Forget about bringing in a new ninja, Lloyd. Let's go see about an old one." Jay said.

The ninjas headed back to the Bounty, and began to pack. Lloyd is just about finished packing, when his father walks in.

"Son? Where are you going?" he asked.

"We're gonna go fishing. Bye."

The six ninjas headed to the dock. The ferry boat pulled in. Then two people put out a wooden plank.

Everyone walked on. Well, everyone except for Lloyd, that is. Garmadon ran to the end of the dock.

" _Lloyd, wait!_ You shouldn't go!" he called out.

"Dad, what are you doing here?!"

"Chen is a very dangerous person who you shouldn't trust. Don't believe anything he says."

"But, this is the only chance we have of getting Zane back. I _have_ to get on." Lloyd insisted.

Garmadon sighed. "Alright. You may go, but I will come with you."

He then looked suspicious. "Clouse?! What are you doing here?!"

"Lord Garmadon, it has been a while. You go by 'Sensei' now, correct? I can't remember. Master Chen will be delighted to see you. Get onboard."

Lloyd, unsure, turned to his father, who nodded in agreement. The two get on on the boat, which sails away from the docks.

The five ninja and Garmadon watched as the elemental masters were practicing for the tournament.

Garmadon then explained, "Okay. There's been something that I've been keeping from all of you. The First Spinjitzu Master, my father and your grandfather, Lloyd, had guardians, which were the elemental masters. The ones that are here are their descendants. I've also known Clouse for a long time. He's Chen's second-in-command and is very skilled at using dark magic."

Garmadon took his son's hands, turning his head to the rest of the ninjas.

"Can you four stay together? I need to talk to Lloyd alone." he said firmly, to which the ninjas nodded in response, walking away.

The ninjas left to have their own conversation, while Lloyd and his father head upstairs.

Garmadon began. "Lloyd, I have to tell you something. Chen was my sensei. 'After I was bitten, it took years for the venom of the Devourer to fully consume me, but when I was about your age, I sought for a darker means of guidance. He taught me that I should win at all costs, no matter who I hurt. I trained for years with him. One day, Clouse and I were sparring, but Chen raised the stakes by saying that the winner of the match would be granted lordship. Despite him saying that we weren't supposed to use spinjitzu previously, I decided to use it anyways and won the match.

The next day, Chen tried to convince me to start a war with him, but I refused. He then gave me a love letter written by Wu, your uncle, for your mother, and convinced me to sign it. Misako married me instead of him.'

Part of me is glad that it turned out that way, though. If that hadn't had happened, you never would have been born, Lloyd. I'm glad you're here.

'But anyways, as I was saying, I left to fight the serpentine with your uncle. The leading tribe, the Anacondrai, were very powerful. Long story short, Chen managed to manipulate the elemental alliance, and we used the sacred flutes to trap them in tombs. Then, I banished the Anacondrai Generals to the Cursed Realm by using Clouse's spell book.'"

Garmadon pointed to an island up ahead. "We're almost there, Lloyd. The island is straight up ahead."

Eventually the ship made it to the island. Everyone got off, making their way to the main gathering room.

"Welcome to the Tournament of Elements! Now, everyone can all _die-_ rect your attention to me!" Chen said laughing maniacally.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that he really likes entertaining people." Garmadon remarked.

Master Chen went on to explain the rules of the tournament and that it would start the next day. Then his kabuki servants entered the room, escorting the elemental masters to their own private suites, Kai and Nya sharing one. Garmadon went with his son to his room.

The two of them put their bags down, sitting on the bed. Lloyd sighed.

"You okay there, Son?" Garmadon asked calmly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah I'm fine, though I'm a little bit worried."

Embracing his son, he then continued. "I completely understand. I also feel the same way. I've known Chen for a long time. He's a pretty deceptive person. Apparently, the only way to get off the island is with his permission. I have a suspicion that this tournament is hiding something. I think we're just going to wait and see what'll happen."

"No matter what happens, Lloyd, I will _always_ love you unconditionally. I _really_ mean it." He finished, finally pulling away.

Garmadon and Lloyd went to the food court for dinner, then sat down to eat with the other five ninjas who were talking about their rooms.

"Oh man!" Cole complained. "My room kinda sucks. Emphasis on kinda. The bed's made from rocks and its really uncomfortable. But the best part about it is that it has good food and wait for it... CAKE! IT HAS CAKE!"

"I have a TV to play video games and watch Starfarer!" Jay added

"Nya and I took a nap. We were exhausted." Kai said.

"Lloyd and I talked together earlier today. I think that there's something suspicious about this tournament. I think it's actually hiding something." Garmadon told the ninjas, excluding Lloyd, who knew already. "I have a plan. We sneak to where the loser goes. Then we'll see what happens to them. Got it?"

The other ninjas nodded in agreement.

"Okay."

Eventually, they all finished dinner and Lloyd and his father returned to their room. They brushed their teeth, changed into their pajamas and prepared to fall asleep.

"Oh, and Lloyd, if it's your match, just try your hardest to get the Jadeblade, okay?" Garmadon advised his son.

"Okay."

The two of them got into bed.

"I'm right here. I love you, Lloyd. Very much. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Dad."

Garmadon woke up early, letting his son sleep in for a little while longer. Then he decided to wake him up.

"Lloyd, get up. The tournament starts today."

"Alright..."

Eventually they went to the main room. Chen announced the first round.

"The first round will be a scavenger hunt for the jadeblades. There is one blade less than there are competitors. Only one can remain! Go!"

Everyone scattered around to find the jadeblades.

Several minutes later, the round was over and Karloff lost, falling through a trap door, screaming.

"And _that's_ what happens when you lose!" Chen said, laughing afterwards. "Have a fun time on my little island!"

Sensei Garmadon decided to pull the ninjas aside to Lloyd's room while the other elemental masters dispersed.

Garmadon and the rest of the ninjas went to Lloyd's room.

"So I've decided that at midnight, we're all going to meet at Kai's room and search for, and if possible, rescue Zane and then see what happens to the losers of the tournament." Garmadon told everyone.

The five ninjas to nodded in agreement. Then, Kai, Jay, Cole and Nya left the room.

Lloyd walked towards his father. "Dad, I just need some time alone right now, okay? I'll be on the balcony."

"Alright, Lloyd. I'll be inside if you need anything."

Lloyd went over to the balcony, looked into the distance and sighed. _It's been several years since my father was redeemed from evil, and I've spent a majority of my time with him. I love him very,_ very _much and I really don't want to lose him so soon._

It didn't take long for tears to accumulate in Lloyd's eyes. He sobbed vehemently, running straight back inside. He collapsed upon the bed. Garmadon came to and embraced his son instantly.

"Oh...Lloyd...! Shh... Calm down... I'm right here..." he consoled.

Moments later, Lloyd had recovered.

"I...don't wanna...lose you..." he said as he pulled away, hesitating.

"I know. I really don't want to lose you either. You truly mean so much to me. I'm serious." his father replied. "Come here."

The two of them just stayed there, silent for a moment. They embraced each other tightly, completely forgetting about the tournament altogether.

"I still remember when I lost you that first time. You did come back, but before then, everything literally just fell apart. Lloyd, I understand completely..." Garmadon said, pulling away.

* * *

 _This isn't happening. This_ can't _be happening! Lloyd, I...I_ can't _lose you! I just can't! You're my only child! Why?! Just_ why _did it have to come down to this?! I_ never _wanted this to happen to you..._

The tears came faster, and Garmadon whimpered, just pleading for his son to come back from the dead.

At last, he couldn't take it anymore, it was too much. He resorted to just sobbing.

But then, a miracle occurred. Lloyd had been revived, and his father was overcome with extreme relief and happiness.

* * *

"I've gotten over that now. I will always love you, no matter what happens, okay? Come. Let's go to dinner."

Lloyd and his father head over to the food court again for dinner, which, of course, was Chen's noodles. They went to a booth, and the other ninjas joined them. Kai, Lloyd, and Garmadon sat on one side, while Jay, Nya, and Cole sat on the other side.

Kai, who was sitting on the right of Lloyd, noticed his somewhat bloodshot eyes, and asked, "Is everything going alright?"

"I'm fine, it's just...I don't want to lose my father so early. He's meant so much to me, and I really do love him. The thing is, I'm only eleven, plus the fact that I'm much more temperamental than the rest of you."

The green ninja turned to his left, looking up at his father, to which Garmadon looked down and smiled back, putting a hand on his son's shoulder in support.

"It's fine, Lloyd." he said.

"Thanks."

"So anyways, we're meeting in Kai and Nya's room at midnight. That's pretty much finalized." Lloyd's father reminded everyone.

They finished dinner, and went to their rooms to prepare. Then, at midnight, they all went to Kai and Nya's bedroom. A new adventure was about to begin.

They eventually made it underneath the massive palace, and went through the tunnels between each of the room. They heard grunting noises, and discovered it was Skylor on the other side. Then she suddenly managed to use Kai's fire powers.

"Wait, what!" Kai exclaimed. "She's fire!"

"If we're all descendants of elemental masters-" Lloyd pointed out, then being interrupted by Cole.

"Kai's heart is on fire! Kai's heart is on fire! Kai's heart is on fire!"

"Guys, quiet down! We don't want anyone else to find out."

Then they eventually came to a huge underground room, where they saw Karloff being taken to Chen. Master Chen held a staff, and took the master of metal's powers for his own. Then he was sent to the factory. Unfortunately, the ninja and Garmadon were spotted.

"Too late, guys! They spotted us! Let's get out of here!" Sensei Garmadon urged the ninjas.

A large snake was guarding the tunnels, but they made it back to Kai's room, just in time.

Nya sighed in relief. " _That_ was a close one..."

A majority of the tournament matches had occured.

The remaining elemental masters were Kai, the master of fire; Jay, the master of lightning; Lloyd, the master of energy; Nya, the master of water; Invizable, the master of light; Shade, the master of shadow; Skylor, the master of amber; Neuro, the master of the mind and Griffin Turner, the master of speed.

Neuro teamed up with the ninjas, after hearing about what really happened with Chen stealing Karloff's powers. He read Clouse's mind and discovered a spell on page 149. Something sinister was going on in the tournament.

Cole and Jay were forced to go against each other, but they decided to team up and Cole sacrificed his spot in the tournament. Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, Cole had actually _found_ Zane, and decided to create a plan to break out and reunite with everyone else.

Kai, Jay, Lloyd, Nya, Invizable, Skylor, Griffin Turner, Neuro and Garmadon went to the main room. Chen hosted a feast for the remaining contestants.

Then fortune cookies were being passed out. Skylor got the cookie which had Cole's message about him finding Zane.

"Kai," she whispered. "Cole found Zane and they're trying to break out."

Kai turned to the ninjas and Lloyd's father and told them quietly, "He found Zane! It's so good to know that there's some people here we can trust!"

Master Chen then ranted, "As you probably may have heard, I have been stealing your powers. I _am!_ This is the Staff of Elements! It holds the powers of the losers, and the winner of the tournament will get it as a prize! Also, there is a spy in the tournament. They have told me about the secret alliance and-"

"Wait!" Neuro interrupted. "I read Clouse's mind and found out that you were doing a spell on page 149! Is that true?!"

Chen dismissed Neuro's statement and since the meal was finished, he sent everyone else off to do whatever they wanted. They went to Nya and Kai's room.

Garmadon pulled his son aside.

"Okay, so I've been feeling somewhat distant lately. I was meditating and came across something that really startled me. Something'll probably happen in the near future where I'm not going to be here anymore."

Lloyd was greatly overwhelmed. "Dad, I-" he started, immediately crying, collapsing into his father's arms.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to startle you like that..."

"I don't...I don't want to lose you...!" Lloyd sobbed.

"I know."

The two stayed out there for a moment. Lloyd eventually recovered and they came back into the room.

Garmadon then stated, "Anyone who has ever worked for Chen has an Anacondrai tattoo on their back. Whoever has it, is most likely to be the spy."

The elemental masters lined up, each of them undoing a part of their shirt. No one had the tattoo.

Eventually the rest of the elemental masters left. Nya changed into a kabuki outfit. Then she snuck into Clouse's office and got the spell from page 149. She gasped.

"This...This changes everything..."

Down below, Cole had found Zane, he opened the cage and released him. Now they just needed to find a way to get back to the surface.

Meanwhile, Nya was chased by Clouse. He had found her sneaking around. He made a mental note to disqualify her. Nya ran away and managed to escape.

In the palace, Chen was sitting on the throne.

"My spy," he said. "Have they found the girl?"

"No, but you may have bigger problems to deal with." The Anacondrai cultist suddenly morphed into Skylor. "Father, Cole has the master of ice with him."

"Thank you, sweetie. The master of form's elemental power has proven to be useful to you. We now shall break up the ninja! _Forever!_ "

The father and daughter share an evil laugh together. _Those ninjas'll never see what's coming for them! Mwahahahaha!_

Lloyd went to Kai's room early in the morning.

"Where's Nya?"

"I don't know. I saw her last afternoon but she left after that. I think she ran away or something."

Back at Lloyd's room, several hours later, Garmadon had just woken up. He started panicking.

 _Where's Lloyd?!_

He went to Kai's room and saw Lloyd talking with the fire ninja. He sighed in relief, running to embrace his son.

"Oh, Lloyd...! Thank goodness you're still here!" he said, pulling away. "I was looking for you; I thought you were like kidnapped or something! Where's Nya? She was here yesterday."

"I know!" Kai complained. "I can't find her either."

Then a gong rang. The remaining elemental masters, minus Nya, who Chen had eliminated from the tournament, went to the main room.

"Now," Chen declared. "We will be going into a blimp! With trap doors!"

"Oh, snap!"

The remaining elemental masters filed into the blimp and went up into the sky. Lloyd turned to his father.

"Dad?" he asked.

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"I'm kinda freaking out."

"How come?"

"The stakes are getting higher now and I really don't wanna lose you. Plus, I'm scared of heights."

"Oh. You're gonna be fine, though, okay."

"Dad-"

"Wait. Stop talking. Chen-"

"Nya Bilens Smith, the master of water, has been eliminated from the tournament. She snuck out in the middle of the night. Now you gotta find her. The first person to do so will be advanced to the _final round_!"

"Nya!" Kai exclaimed.

"You know her?" Skylor asked.

"Yeah. She's my sister."

Chen started speaking again. "Good luck! And remember: 'Only _one_ can remain!'"

Then the trap door opened.

Then 8 parachutes dropped. All the remaining elemental masters got one. However, Lloyd and his father were holding onto one together.

"They're only built for one. This is an easy decision." Garmadon told his son, who let go. He called down loudly to him, " _Lloyd! What are you doing!?_ "

He stared down at his son in terror, but then, Lloyd managed to summon a green elemental dragon, as most of the golden power had been taken out already.

" _Son! You did it!_ "

Eventually, the two of them made it to the ground.

"You want me to summon it again?"

"No, Lloyd. Don't. It's gonna weaken you. Come on. Let's go find Nya."

"Okay."

A majority of the competitors had been captured and brought to the dungeon. Clouse kept claiming that Chen would end up winning the tournament.

Kai and Skylor reached a river. Kai started jumping on the rocks, attempting to cross it.

"Kai, I have a faster way."

That's when Skylor, without thinking it through, used Zane's ice powers to freeze the river. She slid across.

Kai just couldn't believe what he had seen. "How... What... You... Zane wasn't in the tournament! _You're the spy!_ You've seen Zane!"

Skylor lowered her head in guilt. "Yes. Chen...Chen's my father..."

"Chen's your _FATHER_!?"

"Sadly, yes. He forced me to betray you."

Then, out of nowhere, Chen suddenly appears, and eventually, Kai gets captured.

Meanwhile, Lloyd and his father were still wandering in the forest, when Nya runs and accidentally bumps into them.

"Nya?!" Lloyd exclaims.

"Lloyd, I found this in Clouse's room." Nya said, showing it to Garmadon and his son.

Garmadon gasps. "No! It can't be!"

"What?!"

"Chen plans to turn everyone with the mark of the Anacondrai into _actual_ Anacondrai. This is _really_ bad."

Back at the dungeon, all the elemental masters were captured, except for Lloyd, Garmadon, and Nya.

Chen started cackling. "Nothing will stop me! Mwahahahaha!"

"Lloyd," Nya said. "You're the only one left in the tournament."

The green ninja started hyperventilating. "Wait, seriously?! Okay, now I'm freaking out!"

"Shh... Settle down... I'm right here..." Garmadon spoke softly, holding his son close, comforting the both of them. He pulled away, looking around. "We really should get a move on, though. Nya, Lloyd, come follow me."

The three of them headed out from the jungle to the palace and hid.

"They...They know I'm coming. I'm really scared." Lloyd said softly to his father.

"I know."

Underground, the recently eliminated competitors were about to have their powers taken away. They were brought down by four cultists. Jay was still smiling. He claimed that he was using the power of positive thinking to calm him down. Chen then entered the area and took the rest of the powers. However, before they left, Skylor pleaded to her father to spare Kai.

"Oh, you like the boy? Alright. Leave the red one."

Back at the palace, Lloyd, his father, and Nya were waiting for the time to pass, so that they could sneak into the castle and break Chen's staff, causing the powers to return to their original owners.

The Green Ninja looked out into the distance, leaning against his father. Garmadon knew, very well, that something was on his mind.

"Lloyd Montgomery, you seem very agitated. What's been bothering you?" he asked.

"I...I really, _really_ don't want y-you to leave...m-me..."

"I _know_ you don't, Son." Garmadon replied. "You've told me that many, _many_ times before, but please. Hear me out. There comes a time when...for lack of a better way to put it...I won't _always_ be there for you. One day you'll have to continue living without me."

Lloyd couldn't help but start crying. Instantly, his father wrapped his arms around him and held him close.

"Listen, Son. I completely understand. As much as it pains _me_ to say it, I really need to. I can't always be here with you forever. I truly, _truly_ wish, with _all_ my heart, that I could stay and guide you through everything, Lloyd, but I can't. Eternal life just isn't like that...it's just not meant to be."

Then the night fell. The three of them went into the palace. Lloyd accidentally set off a tripwire, and an alarm went off. Nya stayed to fend off the incoming cultists, and Garmadon and his son kept running, only to be stopped by Clouse.

"Lloyd! You go on ahead! I've got Clouse!"

"Okay!"

The Green Ninja ran, only to end up falling through a trap door. A purple snake was in the corridor, and he tried to evade it. Suddenly, Kai, holding a fire torch directs him to the main room which eventually lit up. Lloyd saw Chen emerge from the darkness.

"The final round: it _all_ ends here!"

Chen and the Green Ninja fought for a long while, but Chen had the upper hand. He was carrying the staff with the rest of the elements inside it. Lloyd tried his hardest, but it just wasn't enough against the remaining elements.

"I win! Mwahahahaha!"

Garmadon and Nya were captured and put into chains underground attached to a pole.

"Nya, where are we?! Where's Lloyd!?"

"I don't know."

Chen then enters with Clouse and Skylor. At long last, Garmadon was completely fed up with what had just happened and started sobbing very loudly. He really was _that_ upset.

" _CHEN, WHY!?_ JUST _WHY_ DID YOU HAVE TO TAKE LLOYD FROM ME!? I-I HAVE SPENT MY _WHOLE_ LIFE, JUST TRYING, _TRYING_ TO KEEP HIM SAFE, AND-"

He couldn't finish. It was just far too much for him to handle all at the same time. He wailed loudly in pure anguish. Lloyd was housed in a cell directly next to where his father and Nya were being imprisoned. He had overheard his father's screams, and very softly began to cry.

"I-I'm so sorry... I failed you... Please forgive me, Father..."

Kai had also revealed himself and Nya was really angry at Chen too. Then the three of them left Nya and Sensei Garmadon to be snake food.

Back in the factory, the eliminated contestants and Zane were trying to build a roto-jet to escape. Karloff knew how to design one, due to the fact that he did it in his hometown of Metalonia. Cole kept complaining about why they were doing it underground.

One of the cultists came by and said, "We need noodles for the big ceremony! Chen defeated the Green Ninja! Now, no one in Ninjago is safe!"

Then he lifted the sheet off the jet.

"That's not a noodle machine!"

Cole jumped into the jet, and all the elemental masters managed to escape.

Meanwhile, the ceremony was just getting started. Chen, Kai, Skylor, and Clouse came in first, then Lloyd was brought in, locked to the ground with Vengestone chains. Skylor reluctantly offered her father permission to take her elemental power of amber. What Chen didn't realize however, was that it was all just a set-up for the staff to be broken. Kai grabbed the staff, his eyes becoming red. The staff was corrupting him!

Back with Nya and Garmadon, Lloyd's father was convinced that him being eaten by Clouse's snake was karma from him killing the Devourer. Before the serpent could strike, however, the roto-jet entered.

Kai, while holding the staff, was convinced that he should kill Lloyd and become the Green Ninja. The roto-jet entered the underground room. Kai broke the staff and the powers were returned. Everyone rejoiced. Chen, Clouse and Skylor managed to escape.

Lloyd reunited with his father.

" _Oh, Lloyd!_ " Garmadon cried, embracing him tightly. "I'm so glad you're safe! I was so worried about you. When you were taken prisoner, I...I just couldn't control myself. I was literally so, _so_ overwhelmed. I've missed you."

"Me too... But they took Skylor."

"I saw. We'll get her back."

Meanwhile, the other ninjas were reuniting with Zane. They were so glad that he was still alive. Zane was dancing to the same song that he played for Jay, Cole and Kai when they first discovered that he was a nindroid. The other elemental masters were also socializing.

Kai's face fell. "They've taken Skylor."

"I know, Kai." Garmadon replied, him and Lloyd returning to the others. "But we'll get her back and defeat Chen. Things'll be okay."

Everything was peaceful. The ferry was sunk. The six ninja were gathered together, talking to each other. Sensei Garmadon came over and told them that he was proud that they managed to stay together.

However, Chen discovered that Skylor's powers could finish the spell. He planned on bringing his daughter to the Crystal Caves to complete the transformation. Skylor flew away on her hoverboard, sending a message to Neuro that she was in danger.

Neuro got the message, telling Griffin Turner to tell the ninjas. He went over there and told them. Eventually they all set off to find Skylor. Zane fell into a crevasse with Pixal; previously, he had put her neural drive into his processor. Kai managed to find Skylor, but they were captured by Chope and Kapau, two Anacondrai Cultists who decided to make new names to rise up into the ranks of Chen's army.

Meanwhile, Garmadon was fighting Clouse and was nearly banished to the Cursed Realm, but he managed to escape. He returned to the group.

"Lloyd, I'm here!" he cried out, running to embrace his son. He pulled away. "Where's Skylor and Kai?"

"I don't know. They said they were on their way." Shade explained.

It was too late, however. The transformation had started. Skylor, Chen, and Garmadon were turned into Anacondrai. Chen and the fake Anacondrai then took off, leaving the elemental masters, minus Zane, Skylor, and Kai stuck on the island. Fortunately, the three of them arrived, Kai and Zane unlocking their dragons by facing their fears. They all flew back.

Chen hadn't attacked though. They needed the essence of a true Anacondrai to complete the spell, and permanently become Anacondrai. When the ninjas, Wu and Garmadon arrived, it was too late. Chen had taken Pythor already.

The ninjas and their two senseis meet back at the Bounty. Then Master Chen sent out noodle trucks to all the villages. The elemental masters went out to stop them. When they did, the rear of the trucks were opened. There weren't any fake serpentine in there. The Second Serpentine War had just begun.

The elemental masters were terrified. They drove back. Chen had told Misako and Wu about the letter. They were very angry, and Skylor, who had stayed on, knew that her father was trying to break them up, like he did with the original elemental masters long ago, stopping the fight between the two brothers.

Eventually they all made it over to the Corridor of Elders to bottleneck the army. Pythor comes on his swamp rat, Rodrigo with Clouse's spell book. They go up to the Bounty.

"I have a way to stop this war!" Pythor announced. "The person who banished the generals will need to be banishedto the Cursed Realm. It was you, Garmadon."

"I accept." Garmadon then declares.

Lloyd was enraged. " _Dad, no! Don't do this!_ "

The Green Ninja broke down immediately, collapsing to the ground on his knees, sobbing loudly. His anger turned to sadness.

" _No, Father..._ Y-You _can't_ leave..." he cried softly.

"Lloyd," Garmadon said to his son firmly, yet at the same time, trying his hardest to hold back his own tears. "I _know_ you're upset. I am too, but...I...I _have_ to go through with this. It...It's the only choice I have. There's no other way around it. I truly wish I could've stayed longer with you, but...as much as it pains me to say it, I...I just can't. I...I'm so sorry, Lloyd."

"A-Alright...Very well..." Lloyd said, his voice shaking. Knowing his father was right, he slowly accepted his words with much hesitation.

Garmadon sighed. "Come here..."

He held his son close, his eyes beginning to tear up as well, as he remembered the times that he had spent with Lloyd.

"I _really_ am going to miss you, Father..." Lloyd whispered softly.

"As will I... Again, Lloyd...I'm really sorry. Before you say anymore, I just wanted to let you know that, when I was evil, I had always wanted to recreate the world in my image. And I have: through you, Lloyd."

The two of them pulled away.

"I need the spellbook." Lloyd declares, finally having recovered.

Wu gives him the book to read the banishment spell. He does so and Garmadon violently ascends to the portal. Arcturus comes out with the other Anacondrai generals, sucking up the fake Anacondrai and Chen too. Lloyd lowers his head.

"It's...over."

Eventually, everything settles down. All the elemental masters, except for Skylor (who joins the ninja team and gave Dareth ownership of the noodle house) return home.

The ninjas, Skylor, Misako, and Wu are gathered by a fire at the Corridor of Elders. Kai and Skylor are sitting next to Lloyd.

Kai turns to the master of energy, who sighs softly and said, "I still miss my father..."

"Same. He was a great man. I'm glad to have known him."

Everyone looked out at the sunset. Peace had finally returned. But not for long...

" _Morro!_ "

* * *

Lloyd looked down while sitting on his bed in the Bounty, and sighed despondently, trying his hardest to hold back tears. He had just recently banished his father, Sensei Garmadon, to the Cursed Realm. His father had _truly_ meant so much to him over the last several years.

"Dad..." Lloyd said softly to himself. "I'm not sure if you can hear me right now, but I just miss you _so_ much. I don't know where to go from here. You've always been the one to guide me through things, and I've really enjoyed my time with you, but right now, I'm just so unsure about what's going to happen next. I've needed you for pretty much my whole life."

He couldn't take it anymore. He began to cry softly. His mother, Misako, entered the room, sat on his bed, and embraced him tightly, rocking him back and forth in a gentle manner.

"Ohh...Lloyd... I miss your father just as badly as you have. It's fine now though... Chen's gone. Wu and I have recovered from the letter. We realized that you wouldn't have been born if your father hadn't signed it."

"Thanks, Mom..."


	5. Return of Morro

It has been ten months since Chen was defeated and Lloyd's father had been banished. Wu had decided to run a tea shop called Steep Wisdom to get money for his retirement. Everything was peaceful, until a call came from the Ninjago Museum of Natural History.

Misako took the call. After a while of her talking to the manager, she hung up.

"Lloyd, the museum needs you for something."

"Ok. I'll head over there... Bye Mom..."

"Bye!"

Lloyd sets off on his dragon. Meanwhile, the other ninjas go out to Ninjago City and pass out flyers advertising the tea shop.

Lloyd arrived at the museum.

"That night watchman over there totally got spooked. He's over there." one of the guards said.

"Alright."

Upon approaching him, the night watchman immediately brings Lloyd over to another room.

"Someone stole the Allied Armor of Azure."

Lloyd realizes that the watchman had stolen the armor. They fought, and a spirit comes out of him, possessing a statue of Skales.

"You think you can hurt a ghost?! I can possess _anything_!"

"I read his mind," the night watchman explained. "The world is going to be cursed!"

"You're a ghost from the Cursed Realm! How did you even escape?!"

"When your father opened the door, he should've been more careful what came out! I want you and the armor!"

That was the last thing Lloyd heard, before blackness overcame him. He'd been possessed!

Back with the remaining ninjas, they were using their elemental powers to advertise. Suddenly the powers disappeared. The six of them decided to go back to the tea shop.

In the Cursed Realm, Garmadon was locked up in chains alone, when Morro enters. He had locked Lloyd up in a cage by a campfire, back in the realm of Ninjago.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?!" Garmadon asked suspiciously.

"I am Morro, the master of wind. I possessed the Green Ninja. _I_ was supposed to be the Chosen One, but then Lloyd took my place!"

"You did _WHAT_?! Oh, no...this is so bad..."

 _Why did you have to take my son from me?! I can't stand it anymore! I was banished here to keep Ninjago safe, but now this has to happen?! Seriously?! Haven't I suffered enough already?!_

"Sensei!" Kai called out.

"What?"

"We ran into Lloyd, but he was possessed. He used wind powers."

"This can mean only one thing. Morro has returned."

"Who the heck is Morro?"

The other ninjas gathered around, then Wu begins telling a story about his history with Morro.

"He was my student for the longest time, until one day, he died. I never found out why. 'Anyways, I met him as a young boy. He was digging around the trash by the monastery doors, and I took him in. He was my first student. He did everything I asked of him. However, once I told him about the Green Ninja prophecy, he became arrogant. He wanted to be the Chosen One. When he approached the weapons, they didn't react. He left, and declared that he would go and find the tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master to prove me wrong. I left the doors open for him but he never came back.'"

"Oh, man... Come on. We have to find the tomb before Morro does. Let's move." Kai declares.

Lloyd closed his eyes, still in the cage. _Dad,_ he thought to himself. _I really need you. Did you have to leave? Why aren't you coming back? Are you ever going to come back?_

Meanwhile, Garmadon was still kneeling on the ground within the Cursed Realm, shackles chained to his wrists. He sighed, looked down, and shut his eyes for a moment. _Lloyd, stay strong... I don't know where you are at the moment, but_ _I'm still a part of you. Just remember that..._

The ninjas went to the oceanside city of Stiix and entered a store. They were told to get the Scroll of Airjitzu in Ronin's shop. They were searching for a while, then Ronin enters.

"Oh, not you guys again! What do you want?"

"We need the Scroll of Airjitzu." Kai explains firmly. "I'll take it for 200."

"400."

"300."

"400"

"350."

"450."

"Deal!"

Jay facepalmed. _Oh, Kai, you suck at negotiating... Now we gotta steal it from him. We don't have that much money..._

Meanwhile, back in the Cursed Realm, Garmadon realizes that he can use his powers over realm control (Wu and Garmadon have the ability to travel between realms, due to the fact that they're the sons of the First Spinjitzu Master) to escape from the chains. He does so.

 _Now I gotta get out of this realm, go find Morro, get him out from Lloyd's body and then everything'll be alright... And I need to leave_ right now _._

He runs up to the top of the hill, using his elemental power to conjugate a portal, managing to escape.

"Lloyd," he says to himself, "I'm coming for you..."

Morro had managed to get Wu's staff with an imprint of the clues to find the First Spinjitzu Master's tomb. He arrives at Stiix and gets the Scroll of Airjitzu, Instantly figuring out how to do it, he summons an airjitzu tornado and conjures a dragon, flying away.

It was too late for the ninjas to do anything. Ronin decided to use his airship, R.E.X. and fly to rescue the ninjas in exchange for some of the shares of the tea farm. They went back to Steep Wisdom.

"Oh great... We failed to get the Scroll. Now we have to figure out Airjitzu some other way..." Kai complains.

"There is another way: Yang's Haunted Temple." Ronin states.

Eventually, the ninja went inside the temple, completed multiple challenges, facing their fears. The ghost of Sensei Yang, who was notorious for his unusual teaching method, as a reward, gave them another scroll. That, however was only part of it. They needed to get out.

"We gotta move!" Kai declares, "If we stay until morning, we'll be turned into ghosts!"

Almost all of them managed to get out. Cole accidentally dropped the scroll. Everyone else exited, while the master of earth went to get the scroll. Then Cole came out.

"What...What happened to me..?"

"You didn't make it out in time..." Kai told him sadly.

"Yeah..." Jay replied. "You're a..."

"I'm a ghost..."

The ninjas returned back to the Bounty from Yang's temple. Misako had discovered the location of the next clue.

"The next clue is the Sword of Sanctuary," she explains. "It has the power to predict an opponent's moves before it actually happens. It is in Cloud Kingdom, within the eye of the storm. In order to get there, we need to go to the Wailing Alps."

Eventually, the ninjas changed into outfits made for the cold weather on top of the mountain and went into their personalized mechs. The trap door was open and they fell out, landing on top of the snow below them.

"Now we gotta climb up this thing... Let's move out!" Kai tells everyone else.

They started walking the long way up. Hours passed, and they finally managed to reach the summit.

"Cyclon-doh!"

The six ninja: Kai, Jay, Cole, Nya, Zane and Skylor all managed to unlock Airjitzu. They used the tornadoes, going into the eye of the storm.

Misako, Wu, and Ronin watched from the Bounty.

"They made it!"

When the ninjas arrived at Cloud Kingdom, they were greeted by Fenwick, one of the monks who lived in the realm. He showed the ninjas around.

"Morro insisted that he was destined to be the Green Ninja, but we knew that Lloyd would end up being the Chosen One from the very beginning..."

He went on about how there were sixteen realms, one of them being Ninjago, and that Morro wanted to find the Realm Crystal from the First Spinjitzu Master's tomb. He would then use the Crystal to free the Preeminent: a monstrous deity bent on cursing the entirety of the sixteen realms, with the intent of taking them for her own.

Eventually, they arrived and were locked into a big room. Nimbus, the monster living inside, wanted to eat them.

"Oh great!" Skylor exclaims. "How are we gonna get out of this one?!"

They eventually figured out that Cole could use his ghost powers and go through the walls, over to the other side. Then he could turn into a key and let them out. Once they escaped, the ninjas saw that Morro was being led upstairs, and used Airjitzu to get up.

Morro already saw their arrival from looking through a reflection in the Sword of Sanctuary, which he had just gotten, managed to get out of the realm. The ninjas chased after him, using Airjitzu to slow their falls from the rooftops. Eventually they made it out from the realm as well, taking the sword from Lloyd, who somewhat regained control of his body during the struggle.

All they needed to do now was to get the Realm Crystal from the Tomb and prevent the Preeminent from being unleashed.

Once they all reached the tea shop, the ninjas decided to prepare for an incoming ghost invasion. Ronin was washing his airship. Then, he paused and dropped the sponge that he was using. Morro was manipulating him!

He went into the room where the sword was being held and planned to steal it to give it back to the master of wind.

"Not so fast!" Kai exclaims.

A fight breaks out, and Ronin eventually gains the upper hand, managing to escape to Stiix. Once he entered, he went inside his old shop, which was taken over by Morro and his ghosts. Morro sent a message to the ninjas, still in Ronin's body.

"The tomb is in the Caves of Despair!"

The ninjas headed there instantly, only to find Morro's skeleton. The lava within almost burned them, but Ronin's airship came to the rescue and took them to where the tomb really was.

The ninjas reached the tomb. However, Morro was already steps ahead of them.

They reached the first room. Pixal, who was in Zane's head, due to her being scrapped on Chen's Island, then installed into Zane's processor, analyzed the carvings on the sixteen doors surrounding them.

"It's a zoetrope." Zane reported.

Kai was confused. "A zoe-what?"

"A zoetrope. The patterns on the doors create a moving image when repeated from spinning rapidly. We have to use spinjitzu to create the repetition."

Zane did spinjitzu, and found the door.

"We're going through that one."

"Wait a minute! Isn't that the one that we just came through?!" Jay asked.

"Well," Kai explained. "This _is_ the tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master."

They entered the next room. It was a massive obstacle course. Everyone stepped on a bunch of panels, and the floor opened, jumping down, landing on a slide.

"Wheeee!"

They reached the bottom, when all of a sudden, Morro appears. They fought for a while, Morro eventually coming out of Lloyd's body, and escaping with the Realm Crystal. The 7 ninjas, including Lloyd exited the cave.

"They took the Crystal."

"But we have you now."

They went back to the tea shop, making new vehicles. Then they headed to Stiix. The ghosts were soaring around the town, preparing for the Preeminent's arrival.

Morro activated the Realm Crystal, however, the Preeminent couldn't come out. The ethereal divide was still weak.

Then the ninjas came hours after, but it was far too late.

The Preeminent had arrived.

The Preeminent was basically a huge green meatball crossed with an octopus and a huge valve in the center of it. She kept releasing ghosts, and the ninjas eventually had to retreat to the Endless Sea, Ronin eventually coming back.

Lloyd and Morro ended up fighting over the Realm Crystal, going through several different realms and ended up leaving him there.

"I did it! I finally got rid of you!"

Nya stood on the deck of the boat, ghosts surrounding her. She used her True Potential powers, which she had unlocked years ago, sinking the Preeminent in Hollow's Trench. And the battle was over.

Peace had finally returned to Ninjago. Morro was dragged into the water and died, when Sensei Wu tried to save him. Lloyd came out from the portal from the Realm Crystal, which was generated by Wu. He ran to embrace his mother.

His face fell.

"Dad...He...didn't make it..." Lloyd said despondently, trying his hardest to hold back tears.

Unbeknownst to anyone onboard, Garmadon had finally reached Stiix. He flew straight to the boat on his black and gold elemental dragon and dismounted.

 _No way! This...This_ can't _be real!_ Lloyd thought to himself.

" _Lloyd_ _!?_ _!_ " Garmadon cried.

" _Dad!_ _?_ _!_ _I..."_

The Green Ninja just couldn't believe it. Lloyd ran forward, collapsing in his father's arms and sighed in relief. He began sobbing vehemently in overwhelming relief and joy.

 _Oh, Father_ _..._ _If you only knew..._

"My precious child... You're okay... I'm here... I'm here..." Garmadon whispered soothingly, running a hand through his son's hair.

They were both here.

It was all that mattered.

Garmadon sighed softly. "I have certainly missed you."

" _You_ did this!? _For me!?_ "

"No. For the both of us."

" _Oh, Father! Thank you so much!_ "

Minutes passed. Lloyd comes to his senses, the two of them pulling away. The ship finally made it back to the docks. Then the ninjas repair Stiix with the Tornado of Creation. All was finally well in Ninjago.

* * *

The ninjas, Garmadon, Wu, and Misako return to the tea shop. Lloyd and his father have a private reunion together.

"Dad?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes?"

"I've really missed you."

"Same here. During those ten months when I was in the Cursed Realm, there were multiple times where I actually cried. I didn't even know how you were faring and I was just so worried about you. Not to mention the fact that I also wanted to come back just as much as you did."

"And I...I literally thought you died... I cried for hours, thinking that I would never see you again." Lloyd explained, while beginning to tear up at the memory.

Garmadon smiled softly in reassurance, taking his son's hands. "Hey...it's alright now. I'm still here, Lloyd, don't panic. Anyways, I've kept something from you for the longest time. I realized, just now, that I should've just told you _beforehand_ that, due to the fact that I'm a descendant of the First Spinjitzu Master, I actually have the power of the Realm Crystal _within_ me. I have the ability to travel through the sixteen realms on my own. Wu does also."

"Really?!"

"Yes."

"That...That's so amazing!"

"Yeah, I know, right? But anyways, I'm just so glad to still be here with you, Lloyd. Looking back now, I still remember the first time when I held you as a child, when you were born in the Underworld, all those years ago. It was certainly one of the _most_ happiest moments of my life, and I was extremely proud. I remember crying. I still am now, Son; you've grown up and matured drastically since the first time I saw you."

"Dad, I love you so much."

"As have I, Lloyd. I have _truly_ missed you. Nonetheless, I'm finally back now, and here to stay. Don't worry; it's all over... Everything will be alright."

Garmadon pulled Lloyd close to him in a warm embrace, which his son gladly accepted. At long last, the both of them were together after many months apart. Peace finally returned and things ended up working out.


	6. Memories That Remain

Garmadon was in his room, holding his son, Lloyd, close to him in an embrace. The two of them had just been reunited with each other after ten months, because of Lloyd's father being banished to the Cursed Realm. However, he managed to break out. Lloyd sighed despondently, looking down. His father noticed.

"What's the matter, Son?"

"I'm a bit shaken."

"How come?"

"I've come to terms with the fact that you're still alive, but it's just...what do I do now? Where do I go from here? I'm just...so, _so_ unsure..."

"You can do whatever. Like play video games and other stuff. You're free now, Lloyd, and-"

He was unable to finish, as his brother was calling for them.

"Garmadon!" Wu exclaimed, sadness clear in his voice. "Misako died! She had a heart attack, and died almost instantaneously!"

" _No...!_ It _can't_ be...! Lloyd, I _just_ got you back! I _can't also_ lose her too! We're coming! Hang on!"

The two of them rushed to Wu at once. Misako's body was lying limp on the ground. The three of them collapsed into each other's arms, sobbing.

" _Mom!_ "

" _Misako!_ " Garmadon cried. "I...I should have seen this coming... Unlike Wu and I, your mother...wasn't born with the ability to live much longer than most people. I knew that I would one day outlive her."

"Dad, I'm extremely upset." Lloyd replies softly, his father pulling him in close. "I miss Mom."

"I know... I feel the same way...you-you're _all_ I have now... Nothing... _Nothing_ , Lloyd, will _ever_ be the same..."

Lloyd, distraught, leaned into his father's warm hold, quietly sobbing. Wu's hand was gently grasping Misako's. Kai entered.

"Lloyd? Oh..."

"Mom died in a heart attack... I miss her...so badly..."

"I'm so sorry, Lloyd..."

Garmadon sighed.

"Kai? Can you leave us please? Lloyd and I need a moment."

"Alright."

"Thank you." The former Dark Lord turned to his only child. "Lloyd...I just...I just _can't_ believe she's gone... I _loved_ her... _so_ much...I'm honestly _so_ upset right now... Misako meant the world to me...and now...amongst me, you, and her... _you're_ the only person left... And to top all that off, I literally _just_ got you back. I knew this would eventually happen one day, but _never_ envisioned it to occur so soon. Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon...you're my _only_ child...I really need you now...much, _much_ more than ever. I'm just struggling to keep my emotions under control...your mother's loss _definitely_ has taken a toll on me."

"I miss her..."

"Same. We should bury her near the waterfall."

And so they did. Above her burial site, there was a plaque which read:

 _"Misako Garmadon,_

 _We shall forever miss you. You meant the world to us. We loved you dearly. Rest in peace._

 _Your family:_

 _Garmadon, Wu, Lloyd Montgomery"_

That night, Lloyd couldn't sleep. He was kneeling in front of his mother's burial site, sobbing. His father came over, pulling him in close.

"Hey..." he whispered quietly. "Your mother may be gone now, Lloyd, but I'll still be right here... Everything'll be okay. She loved you so much. We both did. I still do now. C'mon, let's go back."

Lloyd nodded. "Alright..."

Garmadon and his son walked towards Lloyd's room, and sat down on the bed.

"Dad, can you sleep with me?"

"Of course, Lloyd. Anytime." the father replied, the two of them going into bed together. "I love you so, _so_ much. I'm proud of you, Son."

"Goodnight, Father."

"Goodnight, Lloyd."

Garmadon woke up. Lloyd was sitting up in bed, crying silently, and his father held him close.

"I know this is really hard for you, Lloyd, but then again, I'll be here if you need anything." he said softly. "Your mother and I have, and will always be a part of you, no matter where you are, even in death. You have always been so important to us; we loved you dearly. We still do."

The two of them sat in silence. Garmadon gently stroked his son's soft, blonde hair, still embracing him.

"I'm here..."

Lloyd eventually recovered. He went downstairs with his father after changing into jeans and a green T-shirt with his elemental character symbol on the front of it. When he arrived, the other ninjas were wearing similar outfits. Nya and Skylor's T-shirts had lower necklines, and they were wearing yoga pants. They decided to eat outside that morning. Throughout the whole meal, however, Lloyd was a bit distant.

"Is everything okay?" Kai asked.

"I'm still shaken from my mom's death. I miss her." Lloyd replies. "I know my father's back now, but it just isn't the same without Mom."

Garmadon turned to his son, gently squeezing his shoulder.

"I know, it's really sad... Even _I_ sometimes have a hard time dealing with it. But I know I'll be fine as long as I'm with you. You're only thirteen, Lloyd; I can't even imagine how hard this is for you."

"Lloyd," Kai added. "I lost my parents at eleven. I constantly blamed myself. I don't anymore. Nya helped me get through the pain of losing them, though. Just give it some time."

"Thanks, Kai."

"Hey, guys," Jay added. "Wanna remodel the Bounty?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. They eventually went outside and Zane created blueprints. Meanwhile, Lloyd and his father were in the garden nearby, remembering Misako.

"She was the sweetest person I knew. I met her during the Day of the Departed about 40 years ago. Wu and I were lighting lanterns for our father, the First Spinjitzu Master. Misako was lighting lanterns for her parents.

Then I went to learn from Chen and came back to fight in the Serpentine War. I was banished years later.

Misako told me she was pregnant with you, and came into the Underworld. You were born shortly afterward. She left, taking you with her, most likely to Darkley's.

Then I managed to escape that realm, going to another where I got four arms. Wu and I returned to save you, finding out that you were the Green Ninja, I destroyed the Great Devourer, taking the weapons with me.

I created the Mega-Weapon which ended up getting destroyed. I had to save you again; you basically died, but came back to life, and I was turned good. I stayed with you until I was banished to the Cursed Realm, only to come back ten months later. I'm here now, okay?"

Garmadon recalled something.

"Oh, no... _no_... Lloyd...I...I killed you..."

" _What?!_ " his son exclaimed.

"I didn't mean _any_ of it! I refused to give up the leadership of the Serpentine, and by doing so...it...it had inadvertently killed you...! I'm _so_ sorry!"

"Dad, it's fine. I forgive you."

His voice lowered. "Thanks. Truly. I honestly just feel _so_ guilty that I did that to you, though. I never wanted to bring harm to you. It's all in the past, now, Lloyd. I can't believe how much you've grown over these last several years. Everything's alright now. I'm here, you're here."

The two of them embrace. All they needed at the moment was each other. They wouldn't have it any other way.

The two of them returned to the ninjas, who were just about finishing up the blueprints.

"You've made a lot of progress." Lloyd said. "It looks really nice. Seriously. We really should get started with actually doing the remodel."

"Okay. Sound's good." Kai replied.

The ninjas began to work on the Bounty. Hours later, it was finished.

"Woah!"

"Yeah! Great work everyone!"

Lloyd then turned to his father.

"What's the matter, Lloyd?" he replied, pulling him into an embrace.

"It's just...I'm not really sure what to do now... Mom's gone."

"I know it's hard. It's going to take a long time to cope with it. And even sometimes, when you think that you're back to normal, you start thinking about it again. It's like the way that I remembered you dying all those years ago. It was literally just so tragic for me, and was really hard for me to get over it. It still sometimes is now. But, nevertheless, I'm here now. We'll get through this together. Lloyd, it's all okay."

They pulled away. The ninjas, minus Lloyd and his father, went to the game room, while the father and son were sitting alone together on a couch in the living room nearby. The two of them thought the conversation was over, but suddenly, without warning, tears beginning to well up in Garmadon's eyes.

"Dad? Are you alright?"

"No, Son, I'm not. I've always dreaded that I might lose, let alone kill you. As much as it pains me to say this, when you died, I just _couldn't_ believe it. It felt like I was literally dying on the inside. I completely broke down. It was far too much for me to handle all at once. Lloyd, I...I can't even _bear_ to lose you a second time. I _just_ got you back...I'm honestly _so_ upset right now."

"Same. I don't wanna lose you either, Dad. I need you. I lost you once; I don't want a repeat of history."

Lloyd and his father sat in silence, embracing one another tightly. All they had was each other now, but no matter the circumstances, they would go through life together.

Lloyd sighed, the both of them having recovered.

"Imma go and play video games with the others."

"Go ahead, Lloyd. I won't stop you."

"Thanks, Dad! Bye!"

"Bye!"

As the Green Ninja left, his father sighed softly, and thought: _Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, I'm truly,_ truly _blessed to have you as my child. I'm honestly_ so _proud of who you have become. If your grandfather were still here, he too would also be very proud. You've become a wonderful person, Lloyd. You're only thirteen, but you're more mature than others your age._

He smiled and called for Wu.

"What is it, Garmadon?"

"I was thinking about Lloyd. I can't believe how much he's changed. Thank you for taking him in. I really appreciate it. I still miss Misako, though."

"I do also. You're welcome."

Minutes later, Lloyd entered the room again.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, Son?"

"I love you so much."

The two embrace again.

"As have I. You matter so much to me. I don't wanna lose you ever again. I'm still recovering from the first time it happened. The thing is, Wu and I are immortal now."

"Really?"

Garmadon's tone of voice became more serious. "Yes. Really. I will be with you forever and always. Lloyd, I am never, _never_ leaving you again."

"I absolutely do mean it, with _all_ my heart. Everything is alright now."

They pulled away, Garmadon holding his son out at arm's length.

"Like I've told you before, Mom may be gone, but her memory still lives on in all of us. I will always be here with you. Son, I have always kept you dear to my heart. I love you so much, and I'm just so glad to have known you for this long, despite the hardships that went with it."

"Dad, I've missed you."

"As have I. I'll always be here."

The two embrace once more.


	7. Return of the Villains

Garmadon woke up early, turned towards his son, gently stroking his hair. Lloyd smiled softly as his father touched him; it felt very relaxing.

"I'm right here, Lloyd." he whispered. "Don't worry."

"Hi..." Lloyd whispered back as he woke up. "Good morning, Dad..."

The two embrace.

"C'mon. Today's special. Let's get ready."

"Alright."

Lloyd and the other ninjas were wearing outfits similar to the ones that Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane were given when they first began training.

"Let's head out!"

They all arrived at the Ninjago Museum of Natural History. Unexpectedly, Lloyd sat on one of the stairs.

"Go ahead. Just give us a moment."

Garmadon sighed softly, sitting beside his son.

"I understand. I've been where you are. When my father passed, I felt as if it was hopeless, that I wouldn't pull through. Death isn't something that you can just deal with overnight. It _will_ take time. Then again, I'll be here, Lloyd. Always. Forever."

The two of them sat in silence, holding one another close in an embrace for a moment. Then they pulled away, heading inside to catch up with the others.

Lloyd and his father arrived at the gift shop, where everyone else was buying lanterns. The two of them bought some. Then they split up.

"Happy Day of the Departed, everyone!"

Lloyd and his father went back to Steep Wisdom to honor Misako, Wu went to the burnt monastery to honor his father, Nya and Kai went to honor their parents at Four Weapons, Zane went to honor his father in the Birchwood Forest, Skylor went to Chen's Island to honor her mother, and Jay stayed with his parents in the junkyard.

Cole decided to go to Yang's Temple, which somehow ended up gaining altitude and pretty much flew into the sky. He brought the Yin blade with him, which he had gotten from the Museum. He swung the blade around and broke a vase. There was an eclipse, and the remaining light shone on the part of the vase that was broken. Ghostly vapors rose out from the vase, heading back towards where models of the villains were shown in the museum. They came alive.

The Green Ninja and his father were sitting at Misako's gravesite, releasing a lantern when Pythor suddenly appears.

"Pythor?!" Lloyd gasped in shock.

"All I wanted was to take Ninjago for my own! Now I will have my revenge!"

" _No!_ I will _not_ allow this to happen!'' Garmadon exclaimed. He turned to his son. "Lloyd, you _have_ to go! I'm staying behind."

"But, Dad-"

"Just leave! I...I can't bear to lose you a second time!"

"I don't wanna lose you either!"

Lloyd couldn't take it anymore. He created an energy beam, shooting it at Pythor, who disappeared.

"Oh, thanks! I thought he would've hurt me or something..."

Garmadon and Lloyd embrace.

"Thank you so much! I'm so glad we're both alright. I was so worried about your safety, and mine as well. I don't wanna lose you again. It still hurts thinking about it. Anyways, though, we have to tell everyone else. C'mon, let's go!"

The both of them summon their elemental dragons; Lloyd's being green and Garmadon's being black and gold. They flew to the burned down monastery.

"Wu," Garmadon explains. "The ninja's former enemies have been awoken."

"I heard."

Morro suddenly appears.

"Morro?!" Lloyd exclaims. "How-"

"Lloyd, I'm here to help. Yang tricked Cole to open up this rift and has re-awoken your team's former enemies: Samukai, Chen, General Cryptor, and me, though I'm reformed now. And Lloyd, I'm sorry for what I did to you. I was jealous that you became the Green Ninja. Now I understand why destiny chose you."

"It's alright. I forgive you."

"Thank you. We should really get a move on."

They all got on the Bounty and flew to the museum again. The rest of the ninjas, minus Cole, who was fighting Yang and his students, were already there.

"So...you're saying that Cole opened up a rift, and now Ninjago's in danger _again?!_ " Jay asked.

"Yeah..." Lloyd replies. "And Morro's joining us."

"WHAT?! How do we even know if we can trust him!?"

"Guys, settle down!" Morro exclaimed. "I'm reformed now. I'm sorry I hurt you."

"I forgave him." the Green Ninja said.

"Oh..." the other ninjas said all at once.

"Anyways, we should leave now..."

"Okay..." Kai replied.

Lloyd sighed, sitting on the deck, when Morro approached, sitting beside him.

"Hey, Morro." the Green Ninja smiled softly.

"Hi. You seem a bit down. Are you alright?"

"Not exactly. The thing is, my mother...she passed away about a week ago. My father and I were having a private reunion, but it got interrupted when Wu was calling for us. Apparently, she died from a heart attack. The both of us were devastated. We had just gotten each other back."

"Oh... I'm so sorry, Lloyd... I'm happy for you that your father's back. During the time I possessed you and read your mind, I've realized how much he means to you."

"Thanks, Morro... Yes; I love him a lot. I still miss my mom, though."

"I feel you; death is hard. I lost both of my parents at a very young age. Then Wu took me in. After that, though, everything fell apart. I was so consumed with wanting to become the Green Ninja. I ran away, and died in the Caves of Despair, being sent to the Cursed Realm. I possessed you years later, and then the whole thing with the realms and the Preeminent occurred. Wu and I made amends, just seconds before I was dragged down into the water. I came back, and now I'm here with you. I still feel so bad about what I did to you when I was still evil."

"It's alright. I've forgiven you. We all have."

"Thanks. Wanna be friends?"

"Sure."

Garmadon oversaw his son talking with Morro and decided to come over, sitting down next to the both of them. Lloyd scooted over, leaning against his father.

"Hi Morro. Son, are you alright?"

"Kinda. The two of us were talking about what's been going on recently; I still miss Mom."

"I miss her too. I know this is really hard for you, but it'll be okay. I'll always be here."

Garmadon embraces his son tightly. The master of wind came over also, placing a hand on his back in support.

"He's right, Lloyd." Morro added. "Although dealing with your mother's loss may be difficult, your father will never leave your side. He'll always care for and be a part of you. Even _I_ care, despite the fact that we were once enemies at one point."

"Thanks a lot..." Lloyd replies softly. "Really..."

They pulled away, the three of them getting up to look out at the scenery below.

"We're almost there, Lloyd. It's straight up ahead that way."

Yang's students and Morro had already gone through the rift, using Airjitzu, changing back into humans.

"Morro!" Lloyd exclaimed, jumping down from the Bounty, which had arrived. He ran to embrace him. "You're a human again!"

"Yeah!"

Meanwhile, Cole and Yang were at the top of the temple.

"I lived alone and wanted to be remembered forever... I thought the Yin blade would allow me to be immortal..." Yang explained.

Cole then replies, "You _are_ remembered, Yang. You created Airjitzu!"

"Really?!"

"Yes. Though we have to go to the rift. The both of us."

Cole and Yang used Airjitzu to propel themselves up to the rift, but then they stayed suspended.

"No, Cole. The curse on the temple requires that one ghost stays behind as the Master of the House. I will sacrifice myself."

He came back down, and Cole went up into the rift.

" _Cole!_ "

The Bounty touched down, and everyone else got off. Lloyd's face suddenly fell, and his father held him close.

"Cole's...gone..."

"No, I'm right here! And I'm not a ghost anymore!"

" _Cole!_ " the Green Ninja then exclaims, pulling away from his father, and embracing the earth ninja. "You're back and you're not a ghost anymore!"

The Temple of Airjitzu was reverted back to it's original form. The ninjas decided to send it back to where it used to be.

All the ninjas and their families gathered together outside of the temple, Yang deciding to join them as well. He turned to Cole.

"I truly thank you, Cole." Yang said. "You helped me to realize that I will forever and always be an important part of history."

"You're welcome."

Lloyd leaned against his father.

"Dad, that was crazy..."

Garmadon chuckled softly. "I know, Son. The thing is, all of us are safe now, and I'm still here. Like Morro said hours before, I'll _forever_ be a part of you. I love you unconditionally, Lloyd; you are my whole world. You have been and forever will be."

Jay was having a conversation with his parents.

"We should've told you before: you're adopted." Ed explained.

"What?!"

"Your father's telling the truth, Jay. He's an actor. His name is Cliff Gordon, and he plays the role of Fritz Donegan."

"Seriously?!" Lloyd and Jay exclaimed at the same time.

"Yeah."

"I WANNA MEET HIM!" the lightning ninja exclaimed loudly, jumping up, causing everyone else to turn to him. They all giggled. " _WHAT?_ "

"Happy Day of the Departed, everyone!" Lloyd said.

Everyone let go of the lanterns, watching them rise up into the sky. Peace had returned and Ninjago was saved yet again.


	8. Peace at Last

Lloyd was gazing out into the distance on the deck of the Bounty, having just turned fourteen years old that day. Morro came over.

"Hey, Lloyd."

"Hi, Morro."

"Your father was just looking for you."

"Oh, alright..."

"Garmadon, Lloyd's out here!"

Garmadon came onto the deck and embraced his son tightly.

"Lloyd, I can't believe you're fourteen already! Oh, I'm so, extremely proud of you!"

"Thanks, Dad! I love you so much."

"As have I. Your mom would've been so proud of you if she were still here."

"I miss her."

"Yes. I do as well, but she'll always be part of us."

Without warning, Lloyd began to tear up and collapsed into his father's arms, who held him even tighter.

"Shh...It'll be okay...Everything is over now...Lloyd Montgomery...I will always, _always_ be right here..."

Morro turned to his sensei's older sibling, while the Green Ninja eventually cried himself to sleep. Lloyd's father ran a hand through his soft hair.

"Garmadon? Is Lloyd...normally this temperamental?"

"Yeah. Lloyd's usually like this...I don't mind at all...I still love him unconditionally."

"Oh... Well, after possessing him about a month ago, I've realized how much he's admired and needed you."

"I know...he's _all_ I have now... And Morro, I'm sorry for what I did to you... I left you to die in the Caves of Despair... As my son would say it: 'Worst move ever...'" Garmadon chuckled softly.

"I forgive you. I'm not jealous about him being the Chosen One anymore. Lloyd really takes from you. You taught him well."

"Thank you. Although, I think I'll put him to bed right now. He's really tired. He's been through quite a lot, and I'm honestly _so_ proud of him."

"Do you mind if I come with you?"

"Not at all."

They had finally touched down at the tea shop, as the night began to fall. Everyone had already eaten dinner prior to their arrival, being left to their own devices. Garmadon carried Lloyd to his room, and tucked him in, Morro following close behind.

"Sweet dreams, my son."

"G'night, Lloyd."

The two of them looked towards each other, leaving the room.

In the middle of the night, Garmadon woke up and went into his son's room. He laid beside Lloyd, and held him close. It comforted the both of them. Hours later, the day came, and they both woke up.

"I'm here." Garmadon whispered softly, pulling his son into an embrace.

"Dad?" Lloyd replied.

"Yes?"

"What was it like for you when you found out I was the Green Ninja?"

"Lloyd, I...I was devastated. It hurt less than when you died, but still, I was just so upset. I was happy that you were alive, but then, just like that, everything fell apart. I just...couldn't believe it. Days later, after finding out that you'd been captured a second time, I couldn't stop thinking about you. We're together now, at least. I'm glad I'm here."

Garmadon sighed. "Listen, Son. I know I wasn't there for the first seven years of your life, but I'm glad that you saved me. I would _never_ have been able to forgive myself if I killed you in the Final Battle. You are _all_ I have left now.

I have another issue. Although it pains me so much to say this, I don't get why, of _all_ people, Lloyd...the Overlord _had_ to choose me...To choose _our_ family...He _could_ have chosen Clouse for all I care...But he just _had_ to choose me...I just...I just _don't_ understand...!

Everything would've just been so much better if that never happened. However, though, part of me is glad that I was turned. I never would've gotten married or had you, for that matter."

"Father...I had really missed you when I had banished you to the Cursed Realm."

"As did I. It's been seven years since I had reunited with you. I regret it so much. I caused your death. It's hard to forget about it. However, in spite of that, everything is alright now. Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, I have always loved you unconditionally. I will _never_ leave your side; I will forever be here."

Lloyd and his father sat on the bed for a few more moments, holding one another close.

"Lloyd...I don't wanna...lose you...again..."

"Neither do I. I love you."

"I love you too, Son. Come on. Everyone's waiting for us." Garmadon said, pulling away.

Lloyd nodded in agreement. "Alright, Dad."

The two of them went out of the room, gathering in the living room with everyone else. Jay sat by Lloyd.

"Hey, wanna go meet my dad?" the ninja of lightning asked.

"Okay, Yeah, sure!"

Eventually the green and blue ninjas summoned their elemental dragons, heading on their way to Jay's parents' junkyard to get the address. Then they flew to the gate of Jay's biological father's house.

"Ok, we're here."

The two of them went up to the front door. Jay rang the doorbell and the door was opened.

" _Dad!_ "

" _Jayson Richard Gordon!_ I can't believe it's really you! And who's he?" Cliff asked.

"Oh, this is Lloyd Garmadon, the legendary Green Ninja. Me and him really love Starfarer."

"Cool! Come on in, you two."

The two ninjas hung out for a really long time, talking about their adventures and other things with Jay's dad.

"Jay, I have to tell you something. Your mother, Alyssa, was the daughter of the original elemental master of lighting."

"Oh, wow! I'm so glad to have met you!"

Hours later, they said goodbye, going back to the tea shop.

"Hey, we're back!" Lloyd called out.

The two of them went into the game room and played Fist to Face 2 with the other ninjas.

Lloyd sat down on the couch, his father standing by the door. Morro was having time with Sensei Wu.

"Son? Do you mind if I come in?"

"Not really."

Garmadon came into the room, sitting down beside his son. Suddenly, thunder struck and the power went out. Lloyd suddenly felt afraid and shrieked, taking ahold of his father, who embraced him back. Morro and Wu also entered the room as well.

"Shhhhh..." Garmadon whispered softly, running a hand through his son's hair in a gentle manner. "It's gonna be okay, Lloyd...You'll be fine...I'm always right here..."

The ninjas, Garmadon, Morro, and Wu stayed still in silence for hours. Lloyd was still being held by his father, eventually falling asleep. The power came back on. Garmadon carried his son into his room, coming in beside him.

"It's over now..."

Garmadon laid down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and sighed. He remembered a conversation that he had with his son, just hours after Lloyd had changed him.

* * *

The former Dark Lord sat on his bed with his son.

"Dad, are you alright?"

"Not exactly, Lloyd," he began. "I just want to get this out to you sooner, rather than later. I honestly have mixed feelings right now. I'm so relieved that I'm not evil now. It means a lot to me, and I don't have to worry about fighting, let alone killing you in battle anymore, but that's only part of it."

Garmadon sighed for a moment. "The thing is, Son, I...I really, _really_ don't want to lose you again for a second time. It still pains me _so_ much inside to think about how I'd lost you just weeks ago. I...I was devastated...! It was as if...everything had literally fallen apart. Despite that, however, Wu made you come back to life.

You have _always_ meant the world to me, Lloyd. I would do just about _anything_ to keep you safe from harm. But now, the both of us are finally together. I'm right here with you, not evil anymore. I truly wouldn't have it any, _any_ other way."

"Me too, Dad... Me too... I love you _so_ much."

"As have I."

The two of them embraced one another very tightly, the both of them crying.

* * *

"Ohh, Lloyd...my beloved child...stay by me... You'll be okay...I'm right here..." Garmadon whispered softly.

He couldn't believe how much things had changed since then. Lloyd had found his mother, only to end up leaving his father behind in the Cursed Realm. Garmadon then returned from there and Misako passed away. It was just Lloyd, his father and Wu like before. Garmadon shut his eyes and finally fell asleep, wrapping an arm around his son in an embrace. _Good things,_ he thought, _really do come with sacrifices. I love you, Lloyd, so,_ so _much. We'll be alright._

Garmadon woke up the next day, and ran a hand through his son's soft hair. He left the room afterwards. He went to Kai's room, gently knocking on the door. The fire ninja opened it.

"Kai?"

"Yeah?"

"I just want to thank you so, _so_ much for saving Lloyd all those years ago."

"You're welcome." Kai nodded in respect, the two of them going into the room. "I know how much he means to you. He's like a little brother to me now."

Garmadon chuckled softly. His face fell.

"Kai," he said solemnly, lowering his head. "I know what happened to your parents. I...I basically killed them."

Kai couldn't help but start crying. Garmadon wrapped an arm around him.

"Oh, Kai... I'm so, _so_ sorry. I never meant to harm them. I knew your parents for a long time. But the Overlord turned me evil, and I honestly just couldn't control myself."

"Dad!" Lloyd exclaims, as he rushed into the room to embrace his teammate. "What's the matter?! Is Kai alright?!"

"No, Lloyd; he's not. I...I killed his parents, but I never meant any of it. I just feel so guilty right now."

"Oh... I'm so sorry for the both of you..."

Kai eventually recovered.

"Kai, I'm so sorry..."

"I'm alright now... Thanks."

The three of them held each other close for a moment. Garmadon then said softly: "Kai...Lloyd... Both of you are just perfectly fine. It will be alright now."

"Dad?" Lloyd asked his father, as he leaned against him. Garmadon pulled him in close.

"Yes, my son?"

"I don't know what to do now. It's as if everything just...stopped."

"I get it, Lloyd. I get it. I was the same way, just after you had purified me. I was lost in thought, mainly about how you literally died in my arms. It sometimes still haunts me to this day. I love you dearly, and I really don't wanna lose you again. I'll be here, nevertheless."

"Lloyd, it's alright. Your dad and I are here for you."

"Thanks..."

"Lloyd? Garmadon? Can you leave me? I need time alone."

"Alright. Come on, Son. Let's go."

"Okay, Dad. I'm coming."

The two of them exited the room. Lloyd went out to the garden and sighed despondently. His father followed close behind him.

"Dad?"

"What is it, Son?"

"I wanna go to the Departed Realm. I wanna see Mom again."

"I see no reason why we shouldn't go. I miss her too. I'll come with you."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime, Lloyd... Anytime..."

"I'll leave you two be." Wu said.

"Go ahead, Wu." Garmadon replied, his brother leaving in short order.

"Come, Son. Let's go."

Garmadon then opened up a portal to the Departed Realm and both of them entered. They held hands, running through the realm together.

" _MOM!"_

" _Ohh...! Lloyd!_ _!_ _Garmadon_ _!_ _!_ It's been _so_ long! I've missed you both!"

" _Mom!_ _!_ " Lloyd sobbed, as he let go of his father's hold, running into his mother's. She was human.

Garmadon came between his wife and son, pulling them all in close. The three of them smiled in satisfaction, even though it wouldn't last very long.

They were all together now.

It was all that mattered.

"Mom, I'm fourteen now."

"I'm so proud of you, Sweetie." Misako replies.

"Me too." Garmadon added.

"Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad. We've missed you..."

"I know. I've missed you two as well."

The two of them stayed for hours, just hanging out and living in the moment. After a long while, Lloyd and Garmadon prepared to depart.

"Goodbye, Mom."

"Goodbye, Misako."

They all embraced one final time, Lloyd tearing up.

"It's okay, Lloyd." Misako said softly. "I'll miss you both, so very much. Take care. Farewell."

Then Garmadon opened the portal and the two of them stepped inside, looking back, smiling sadly. They came out into Lloyd's room and sat on the bed.

"Because we knew you, Mom, we have been changed...for good."

"Yes, Lloyd..." Garmadon stated uneasily, attempting to hold back tears, as he pulled his son in close. "Yes... I couldn't have said it better myself. We will _all_ miss you, Misako. We will all be okay."

"Dad, I'm tired. Can you sleep with me?"

"Of course, Lloyd. Absolutely."

The two of them got into bed together, sitting up against pillows, while the Green Ninja leaned against his father. Lloyd sighed softly as Garmadon wrapped an arm around him.

"I'm not sure where to go from this point on."

"Hey, Son...it's gonna be alright. I'll be here, and we'll do this together. I know it's difficult. Then again, like we did just minutes ago, we can always visit your mother every once in a while, as she's unable to escape from that realm. I love you, and Misako, very, _very_ dearly, Lloyd. You both mean the world to me."

"Dad, I'm ready to sleep."

"Okay."

The two of them laid down, and finally fell asleep. All was peaceful.

The two of them woke up the next day. Lloyd sighed softly.

"Dad?"

"What's the matter?"

"I'm still shaken about losing Mom, even though I know we now have the ability to see her anytime."

"Oh... Oh, Lloyd..." Garmadon said to his son in a gentle way. "It will be alright. Stay by me."

The young ninja leaned into his father's hold, taking shuddering breaths.

"I know you're really upset; I've been in the same position. It seemed hopeless that I wouldn't pull through. I love you, your uncle, and your mother so much; you all complete me."

Morro entered the room.

"Lloyd, me and the other ninjas are going to Mega Monster Amusement Park. Wanna come?"

"Sure. I'd love to. Hold on. Lemme change."

He got up and went behind the screen, changing into his jeans and green T-shirt.

"I'm ready now."

"Alright." Morro answered.

"Bye, Dad."

"Take care, Lloyd. See you later."

Lloyd went to embrace his father again, and left the room with Morro. Garmadon sighed. _I'm so proud of you, Son. Everything's alright._

Lloyd, Kai, Nya, Jay, Cole, Zane, Skylor and Morro went outside, about to summon their dragons, when Garmadon rushes out.

"Lloyd, wait!"

"Dad?"

"I'm coming with you. I'm not willing to lose you again, and I really also want to spend time with you. Mind if I get on your dragon?"

"Not at all, Dad. Get on!"

The group got onto their elemental dragons and went on their way to the amusement park.

Lloyd sighed. They all dismounted upon their arrival. Everyone left. Kai and Skylor, and Jay and Nya went as couples. Zane and Cole went with Lloyd, who stayed with his father. Morro somehow managed to get lost.

"Dad, I'm hungry."

"Oh, alright. Let's go eat." Garmadon replies, gently squeezing his son's hand.

The four of them went to the restaurant. Lloyd decides to sit next to his father. Moments after they got a table, the Green Ninja sighs, putting his head down on it. Garmadon places a hand upon Lloyd's shoulder, gently squeezing it, who, in response, turns back to make eye contact with his only parent.

"Lloyd Montgomery...my son. Are you alright there?"

"Not exactly, Dad."

"How come?"

"It's just that...I really don't wanna lose you again..."

Garmadon sighs softly. "I'll _never_ leave you again, Lloyd. I'm immortal now; you don't need to fret about it any more. I wish you could live forever also, but at this rate, it just isn't meant to be. As much as it pains me to say this, Lloyd, _I_ don't want to lose you a second time. I felt _so_ broken when it happened all those years ago. You're _everything_ to me now. You're _all_ that I have. I do not regret having you. You have _always_ been so important to me."

Lloyd cried softly into his father's arms, "I love you _so_ much."

"As do I. You'll be fine. I'm always gonna be here."

They ordered and waited in silence. Cole and Zane were just talking.

"Dad, I don't really know what to do at this point. You're back and Mom's gone now. I feel so insecure right now. Is this normal?"

Garmadon sighed as he pulled away, taking his son's hands into his own, and made eye contact. "For you, yes. You're not like other people, Lloyd; you're so much more temperamental than others your age."

Morro suddenly wandered in; he had gotten lost and went to the restaurant. "Oh, you're here."

Without any warning, Lloyd instantly started sobbing, running out of the building, and into a corridor to be alone. Morro turned to Garmadon.

"What just happened...?"

"I...I don't know... He just...started crying...and left. I'll go talk to him."

Lloyd's father left to talk with his son, eventually finding him. The two embrace.

"Shh... Calm down... I'm right here... I'm right here..."

"I love you _so_ much, Lloyd Montgomery. You're my world. You have, and shall forever remain a part of my life. You mean _everything_ to me. I am not going to leave you ever again. Like I said once before, I had wanted to recreate the world in my image. And I have: because of you. I have always kept you very dear to my heart. Although it may only be me beside you right now, Lloyd, you're still never alone. We'll all be here for you. It is hard to accept, but we are not perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. Even me. It is going to be all right."

"Thanks, Father." Lloyd said, speaking softly.

"No problem. I love you _so_ much. And I mean it, Lloyd. I really do. _I really do_. You ready now?"

"Yeah... I dunno what got into me..."

"Don't be sorry for yourself for doing so. It's perfectly fine, my son." The once former Dark Lord replied.

"I love you so much."

"Yes, Lloyd..." The two of them pulled each other close, as Garmadon continued softly, "Yes... I couldn't agree more. When I was still evil, I refused to end your life prematurely. I just couldn't bear the thought of losing you a second time. That being said, I _never_ meant to harm you. And the fact that you're alive and well right now, it's...it's _all_ that I've ever wanted. It's _all_ that matters to me. I don't wanna lose you again. Anyways, though, this conversation isn't over yet. As much as I want to spend quality time with you and talk about this, we really should go back to the others. They're waiting for us."

"I think I'm ready."

"Then let's go."

Hours passed and everyone went back. They all ate dinner and it was soon time to sleep. Garmadon went with his son to Lloyd's room. He held him close, the both of them lying down and he sang softly:

 _'You tuck me in, turn out the light._ _K_ _ept me safe and sound at night; little ones depend on things like that._

 _Brushed my teeth and combed my hair, had to take me everywhere; you were always there when I looked back._

 _You had to do it all alone. Make a living, make a home; must have been as hard as it could be._

 _And when I couldn't sleep at night, scared things wouldn't turn out right, you would hold my hand and sing to me:_

 _Caterpillar in a tree, how I wonder who you'll be. Can't go far, but you can always dream. Wish you may_ _,_ _and wish you might; don't you worry, hold on tight. I promise you there'll come a day, butterfly fly away...'_

"It's okay, Lloyd. I'm gonna be right here."

They fell asleep. And for once, everything was peaceful.

The two of them woke up the next day. Garmadon sighed, pulling his son close to him.

"Lloyd Montgomery, it'll be alright. You'll be fine. I'm right here."

"I know...I love you so much."

"As do I. C'mon. It's time for breakfast."

The two of them went to the dining room. Lloyd looked up to his father, who sat beside him.

"You okay there, Son?"

"Yeah... I'm still a bit shaken from losing Mom, but overall, I'm alright."

"I can't believe that it's been ten years since the four of us met!" Cole said, directing his statement to Jay, Kai, and Zane.

"And then I joined you guys a year later, and this group just got bigger with the addition of Skylor to our team." Lloyd added.

Eventually they all finished up and were left to their own devices. The ninjas, Morro, and Sensei Garmadon went to the game room, while Wu went to meditate.

Lloyd sighed softly. "Where do I go from here? Mom's gone now."

"You're free. You can do anything now."

The Green Ninja suddenly cried out, and Garmadon instantly pulled him in close.

"Shhhh...I'm here, Lloyd... I'm right here... You don't have to worry... It's gonna be okay..."

Lloyd eventually became at peace, sleeping soundly in his father's arms. A soft golden glow emanated around them both. Garmadon smiled, gently running a hand through his child's hair, and whispered:

"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon...my light...my savior... I love you so, _so_ very much... You mean a lot to me... I'm so grateful... You made me who I am today... You've changed me for good... I don't regret any of this... Things may have been rough in the beginning, but now it's all over... Thank you, Son..."

"Garmadon?" asked the wind master.

"Yes, Morro?"

"Is Lloyd alright?"

"Sorta. He's been through so much over these last several years. I truly couldn't be more proud of him. I'm so glad he saved me early on. We would've had to fight each other if he hadn't. And if we did have to fight, it would've been tragic for either one of us. Our relationship was, and still is much too strong."

"Hmm... I see... Still, I'm happy for you. Lloyd's never really gone into much detail about his mother. What was she like?"

"Well, it all started many years ago..."

Garmadon told Morro about his relationship with Misako. The master of wind smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry that you, Lloyd, and Sensei lost her. I was once evil too, but your brother forgave me. Your son is like a younger brother to me."

"Morro, thank you for understanding. I constantly have to remind Lloyd that she'll always be part of us, and that I'll always be here for him."

"And to be honest, I think he deserves the title of Chosen One more than me. Besides, he's the grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master."

Garmadon chuckled softly. "Again, thank you."

"No problem at all."

Lloyd then woke up.

"Hey, Dad... Hey, Morro..."

"Lloyd..." Garmadon sighed.

"Lloyd! You're awake!" Jay exclaimed. "Oh! You missed this awesome round! I totally annihilated Cole!"

"Heh!" Lloyd's voice suddenly became softer. "I...I miss Mom..."

"Son, listen to me. It's going to be alright. I'm right here."

Lloyd slowly nodded his head in realization. "Yeah... _Yeah._ You _are_ still with me, Mother. It'll never be the same without you, but you still forever will be a part of me. I love you."

"Dad, I wanna lie down. Can I?"

"Of course, Lloyd. Absolutely. Come over here..."

Lloyd scooted over, lying down on his father's lap, and shut his eyes. Garmadon ran a hand through his son's hair tenderly. _I love you, Lloyd. You're my world, and you mean a lot to me. I'm very,_ very _proud of you._

Morro placed a hand on Lloyd's back.

"Hey there..."

Hours later, the Green Ninja woke up again.

"Lloyd, you still have your golden powers. When the Overlord took them, it regenerated." Garmadon told his son.

"Really?!"

"Yes; really."

"That's so amazing!"

"Yeah. It is. Because your powers have now regenerated fully, the ninjas' powers aren't bound to yours anymore."

"Cool!"

"You are also the destined master of Chi."

"Aw, yeah!"

Lloyd's father giggled. _Oh, you're so funny, Lloyd!_

"I love you, Dad!"

"Yes, me too..."

Lloyd embraces his father, who returns it. Then his face fell, as the two of them pulled away.

"What's the matter, Lloyd?" Garmadon asked, gently stroking his son's hair.

"Father, I just... It's complicated." Lloyd sighed. "I've been through just _so_ much and it's definitely taken a toll on me. I don't know where to go from this point on. It's hard. _Very_ hard."

"You're not alone. Even _I_ have a hard time dealing with it every once in awhile. It isn't something that you can get over with overnight, and be done with. Lloyd, your mother passed just a little more than two weeks ago. I'm still shaken from it. It's going to be alright. I'm with you now."

The two of them pulled each other in close and fell asleep.

Chen was walking around in the Departed Realm. _Oh man! What was I even thinking?! I regret_ everything _now!_ He turned to Clouse, and asked to be turned back into a human with his wife, Tamara. They came out from the realm and would start a new life together.

The two of them decided to not go back to the noodle business and let Dareth take care of everything. They went to Steep Wisdom, and rang the doorbell. Skylor went to go get it.

"Mom? Dad?!"

She got into a defensive position until her father stopped her. "Don't, Skylor. I'm reformed now. We're starting everything over."

She nodded. "Oh, alright. Mom, I've missed you."

"Me too, Darling." Tamara replies.

"I guess you can come on in."

They went to the game room. The ninjas and Garmadon were really suspicious, but all was explained, and everything died down.

Skylor and her mother left to spend time together.

"Hold on, Lloyd. I need to talk with Chen right now." Garmadon said to his son.

"Alright. See you later."

The former Dark Lord pulled his sensei aside.

"I'm sorry, for everything I did." Chen apologized.

"It doesn't matter. I forgive you now. Besides, Lloyd wouldn't have been born if it wasn't for you convincing me to sign that letter. I'm grateful for that."

" _Really?_ "

"Yes. Misako, although she passed away, had already forgiven me. As with Wu also."

"So, it's all good now, right?"

"Yep. Where's Clouse?"

"He's still in the Departed Realm. He refused to change sides."

"Oh, I see."

"Is Lloyd alright?"

"Mostly, yeah, although he's still recovering from Misako's death. She got a heart attack just an hour after I had returned from the Cursed Realm."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I know. I'm also affected, but not as deeply. Although, Kai and Skylor are still in a relationship too."

"I totally support that now. I saw how they looked at each other during the tournament. I think they're meant to be together. Anyways, now that I'm good, I'd like to stay with the rest of you."

"Sure."

"And I think Master Chen sounds way better then Sensei Chen, so...well...they technically mean the same thing... I'm just gonna keep it like that."

"Okay. You wanna go back?"

"Yeah."

The two of them returned to the game room, Garmadon sitting down beside his son again. Tamara went to her husband along with Skylor.

"What happened, Dad?" Lloyd asked.

"I forgave Chen, and well, everything is alright now. Him and his family is gonna stay with us."

"Alright. Glad we don't have to worry about him anymore."

"Yeah. I love you, Lloyd."

"Me too."

Wu called everyone over.

"Dinner time!"

They all went to the dining room. They ate for a while. Then they went to their rooms. Misako and her husband used to share one, but Garmadon gave that one to Chen and Tamara, settling into Lloyd's room instead.

"I'm staying with you now, Lloyd."

"Alright, Dad. What about Uncle?"

"He sleeps in the meditation room."

"Oh." They get into bed, Lloyd then being held close by his father.

"You okay, there?" Garmadon asked softly.

"More or less. I wanna sleep now."

"Go ahead."

"I love you so much, Father."

"Me too. Sweet dreams, Lloyd."

The Green Ninja drifted off to sleep in his father's arms. Garmadon looked down at his child, smiling.

"Lloyd," he said softly. "I love you. You have and will _always_ mean so much to me. At the point when I was still evil, I never thought I'd ever change back. I'm so glad I did. I would've been so heartbroken if I really _did_ end up killing you in battle; it doesn't matter anymore. It's been seven years since it happened. I couldn't be more happier."

Garmadon laid his son down, coming behind and wrapping his arms tightly around Lloyd's body. He fell asleep.

The next morning came. They both woke up.

"Dad, I overheard you talking last night." Lloyd told his father. "I couldn't really make out what you were saying."

"My son, I love you very dearly." Garmadon replied, pulling his son close. "You've _always_ meant so much to me. When I was still evil, I didn't think I could ever change back. I feel so relieved now. It would've hurt me a lot internally, if I really _had_ ended up killing you in battle. Then again, Lloyd, it's been seven years since it happened, and I'm just glad that you saved me. We're together now, and it's all that matters to me. We'll be alright."

"Dad," Lloyd said, pulling away. "I'm really hungry."

"Okay. Let's go eat. Come on, Son."

The two of them left the room.

Lloyd and his father head to the dining room with the others. They had pancakes, which Zane had cooked just minutes ago.

"Yummy!" Cole said, to which the other ninjas nodded in agreement.

"Guys," Morro addressed the ninjas after the meal was over. "You guys wanna go swimming?"

"Yeah!" Kai exclaimed.

Jay then added, "Let's do it!"

Eventually, after they changed, everyone went outside to the waterfall pond. Everyone, except for Lloyd went into the water. Garmadon came out of the water, nearing his son.

"Hang on! Lloyd and I need a moment!" he called to the others.

Garmadon pulled his son aside, holding him close. The fourteen-year-old sighed sadly.

"What's the matter?"

"Father, I..." He trailed off, only to start sobbing into Garmadon's arms.

He was really overwhelmed with what had happened recently.

"Shh... Yes, I know it's very difficult for you, Lloyd, but at some point, you just kinda have to move on. Lamenting about it isn't going to change anything."

The two of them sat in silence for a moment.

"I think I'm ready to go back."

The two of them returned to the others.

"Cannonball!"

Nya used her water powers to put more water into the pond. The other ninjas were playing "Marco Polo". Wu and his brother were watching, and talking about how far they've come since the ninjas were recruited. Lloyd came over to the two of them.

"Son? You okay?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I love you, Dad."

"Me too." Garmadon smiled softly, brushing his son's bangs aside, then embracing him. "I'm very proud of you. I really do mean it."

Lloyd sighed softly. "I still really miss mom."

Garmadon nodded sadly in reply.

"Yes." He began. "It's going to be very different, but nevertheless, we'll have to carry on without her. As much as it pains me to say this, I can't bring her back. I'm sorry. I truly wish I could, just for you. Unfortunately, though, it's not meant to be."

"Oh. I see. Dad, I'm not really in the mood for swimming anymore."

"Alright."

The two of them walked back to the tea shop together, and changed. They went to Lloyd's room, and sat on the bed in silence, embracing one another. After a while, Lloyd spoke up.

"Dad?" he asked softly. "I don't know how to continue from here. What am I supposed to do now?"

"Lloyd, listen to me. I know this is hard for you, but like I said before, being upset over it won't change anything. You need to move on. She'll always remain a part of us. It's all that matters. I love you so much. I really do."

The two of them sat in silence for another moment. Garmadon held his son close as he stroked his hair gently. It was very rare for the other ninjas to see Lloyd in such a vulnerable state. For Garmadon, however, it was much more frequent.

"Ohhh...Lloyd Montgomery...my son... Shh... Settle down now... I'm right here, Lloyd... I'm right here..."

About an hour later, Lloyd recovered.

"Father, I feel a lot better than before." he said softly.

"I'm glad you're alright. Honestly, Lloyd: you, your mother, and Wu mean more to me than anything else. Things may have been hard in the beginning, and I'm sorry that I wasn't there for the first part of your life. But I'm here now. It's all that matters. I love you so much. Anyways, it's dinner time. Let's go."

"Alright."

The two of them pulled away, leaving the room with their hands interlocked.

Lloyd looked up to his father and smiled. Garmadon returned it.

"Oh! I love you so much, Lloyd."

"Me too. I'm glad we're both still alive."

"Yes, my son. I couldn't agree more."

Lloyd's father closed his eyes and visualized something for a moment.

* * *

" _I CAN'T FIGHT YOU!_ " Lloyd exclaims, stopping his attack.

Unable to control anything, Garmadon's beam hit Lloyd, who collapsed to the ground. The Dark Lord instantly ran to his son. Lloyd's breathing had stopped just shortly after his father's arrival.

 _No...! It_ cannot _be!_

It was too late; Lloyd had died.

Garmadon wailed in both anguish and sadness, rapidly shaking his head in disbelief as he held his son close, his voice trembling.

" _LLOYD MONTGOMERY, MY BELOVED CHILD! N-NO! WHAT...WHAT HAVE I DONE TO YOU?! THIS_ C-CAN'T _BE REAL! IT_ CAN'T _BE! NO, I..._ " He trailed off.

 _I'm just so conflicted. Although the evil within is still controlling me, I can't help but blame myself for all of this. Lloyd, you've always meant the world to me, but now...now I've killed you. I can't even think about anything else at the moment. I can't move. It's too much for me to handle all at once. I can never forgive myself._

* * *

Garmadon shuddered.

"Father?! Are you alright?!" Lloyd said with much concern.

"No, Lloyd. I'm not. You go on ahead without me. I'm going to stay behind for a while."

"Alright."

Lloyd left his father and went into the dining room.

Garmadon returns to Lloyd's room. In the meantime, Lloyd sat down.

"Lloyd?" Kai asked. "Where's your father?"

"He told me to go ahead and come over early. He's having some time to himself right now. Something was really bothering him. I don't really know what it was. He was all like really happy with me before, and then he closed his eyes. But when he opened them back up, though, he felt really uneasy."

"Oh. I see. Your father's still a strong person, nevertheless. He thanks me so much for saving you when he couldn't."

"Yeah. And I'd missed him so much when he was still in the Cursed Realm. It was honestly a complete surprise to me when he returned. He's really meant a lot to me, and I've meant a lot to him as well. We both really love each other unconditionally."

"My father and I had the same relationship. Nya came along and both of my parents died. I had to take care of Nya on my own."

Garmadon then entered the room.

"Oh, hello. Sorry I'm late. I was just having a bit of time to myself."

"Dad, what happened?"

"I was visualizing this scenario where I actually _did_ end up killing you in the Final Battle, Lloyd. It was _so_ tragic. I couldn't help but start feeling uneasy over it. Although it didn't happen in real life, it still pained me so much to think about it. I love you. I don't want to lose you ever again, Lloyd. It hurt so badly the first time, that I just don't want to go through the same pain yet again."

"Oh, Father...! I'm so sorry..."

"It's _not_ your fault, Son." Garmadon insisted. "The reason why I was so unwilling to fight you was because of the fact that I loved you very, _very_ much. My love for you drastically outweighed my want to take over Ninjago. You _saw_ how I reacted to you becoming the Green Ninja, Lloyd. I was heartbroken. I just... I'm not comfortable talking about this anymore. We can talk later. We really should eat now."

Eventually, they all finished dinner. Everyone left the room. Garmadon took his son to his room. He continued the conversation they were having over dinner.

"As I was saying before, Lloyd, I just only wanted you to be safe. It was _all_ that I cared about at that moment. I didn't want to hurt, let alone kill you in battle. My relationship with you was much too strong and I couldn't overcome it. However, that's actually a good thing. But now, we're both together at long last. I won't have it any other way. I love you very dearly. It's getting late now. We should go to sleep."

Lloyd nodded in agreement and the two of them changed, then went into the bed. Garmadon pulled his son close, who had started to cry softly.

"Ohh, Lloyd Montgomery...my dear, precious child... I'm right beside you... Shhhh... Calm down."

"Father?" Lloyd cried softly.

"Yes, my son?"

"I love you."

"Yes. Me too."

The both of them fell asleep after that.

Lloyd sighed as he woke up, his father waking up shortly afterwards.

"Are you alright there, Son?" Garmadon asked.

"Uh huh. Though I still miss Mom..." Lloyd's voice faded.

"I know you do, Lloyd. I feel the exact same way. Rest assured, it'll be alright. Come here." Garmadon pulled his son close to him.

At last, they were together, and although Misako had passed, they looked towards the future. Things would be better one day.


	9. Descendants Arise

**Here's the info of the ninja's kids:**

 **Kai and Skylor Smith:**

 **-Karen Alexandra(Fire)**

 **-Tyler Jonathan(Amber)**

 **Jay and Nya Walker:**

 **-Evan Andrew(Lighning)**

 **-Anais Coralyn (Water)**

 **Cole and Kitalyn "Toxikita" Hence:**

 **-Renee Katherine(Poison)**

 **-Michael Oliver(Earth)**

 **Lloyd and Chamille Garmadon:**

 **-Lona Zachary(Form)**

 **-Rebekah Sophie(Energy)**

 **Zane and Pixal Julien:**

 **-Daniela Rose(Ice)**

* * *

Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, now twenty-four, sat on his bed. Chamille, his wife, sat next to him.

"Lloyd, I'm pregnant." She said calmly.

"Really?!"

"Yeah."

Garmadon, Lloyd's father entered the room.

"Hey," he said calmly, sitting on the other side of his son. "What's the matter?"

"I'm...I'm gonna be a father soon."

"Oh, Lloyd, I'm so happy for you!"

"The thing is, I'm just _so_ scared. I've never done anything like this."

"Son, I'm right here by your side. I'll be here forever. It's going to be okay."

Lloyd started sobbing, clearly overwhelmed, despite the fact that it had been eleven years since he finished his duty as a ninja. He was still very much a child at heart.

"Come..." his father whispered, pulling him in tight. "I totally understand. I was like this once too. I know how worried you must be. No matter what, Lloyd, I'll always be here forever."

"Thank you, Father." the Green Ninja replied.

"No problem. Anytime, Lloyd. Anytime. Still, though, you have come so far. I still love you very much, and I couldn't be more proud of the person you've become."

Lloyd pulled away and smiled softly.

"I know, Dad. I can't believe that just literally eighteen years ago, I was revealed to be the Chosen One."

"Yes. I remember being devastated at the time, but still, I couldn't agree more."

"Lloyd, are you doing alright?" Chamille asked.

"Yeah, a bit worried about what's to come, but overall, I'm pretty good."

"And to think that thirteen years ago, we were pitted against each other in the Tournament of Elements. Where's Chen anyways?"

"He's reformed now, along with his wife, Tamara." Garmadon explains.

"Oh. I see."

"Dad?"

"Yes, Son?"

"I'm still sad about Mom."

"I know, Lloyd. But she would've been very proud to see you."

"I'll leave you two be." Chamille stated, leaving the room.

"The last time I saw her was when I was fourteen. Can we visit her again?" the Green Ninja continued.

"Of course, Lloyd. Absolutely. Come on. Let's go."

The two of them got up, Garmadon opened the portal, and they stepped through it.

The two of them arrived in the Departed Realm.

" _Mom!_ " Lloyd exclaims, embracing Misako tightly, unable to say anything else after that.

" _Lloyd!? Oh!_ It's you! How long has it been?!"

"Ten years." Garmadon replies. "Lloyd's twenty-four now."

"My goodness! I'm so proud of you, Son!"

"Thanks, Mom..." Lloyd replies softly. "I love you so much. Dad and I both do."

The three of them held one another close for several hours.

"Goodbye, Mom."

"Goodbye, Son. Goodbye, my love."

The portal opened again, and the father and son stepped through it.

"Father, I'm still so scared."

"I know this is difficult for you. Rest assured, I always will stay here. You are not alone, Lloyd."

"Lloyd, it's dinner time!" Chamille called out.

"Alright! We're coming!"

Lloyd and his father embraced one another and walked out of the room. They entered the dining room and sat down. It was just the two of them, Chamille, Morro, and Wu living at the Monastery now, as the tea shop wasn't needed anymore. Everyone else had left for Jamanakai Village to raise their own families. Skylor's father and mother lived in a nearby house, and started a new life.

Morro sighed.

"Lloyd, I shoulda told you this before. I'm twenty-nine. I used Tomorrow's Tea."

"I was the same way, and several days later, I nearly died, and-"

"Lloyd Montgomery, please." Garmadon said in a soft voice, gently squeezing his son's hand. "Can you not? That single event still pains me so much. Even now."

"Oh. Nevertheless, I'm so glad I'm still alive."

"Yes, Son. Same here. I love you so much, and I really don't want to lose you again."

About thirty minutes later, dinner was finished. Everyone went to their rooms. Lloyd was sitting on his bed and sighed. His father came in.

"Are you alright? What's the matter?" Garmadon asked calmly, squeezing his son's hands.

"Dad," Lloyd said softly. "It's been so long since I saved you, yet it still feels like yesterday."

"I know. I'm still so glad that we're both alright. I love you dearly, Lloyd. I really do. When I was evil, I never thought I'd ever be reformed. I never thought that things would be alright for the both of us. I constantly thought _we_ were going to have to fight each other in battle."

"But it never happened. I saved you." Lloyd began to tear up.

"Yeah. Exactly. Oh, Son, come here..." Garmadon pulled his son in close. "You will be fine. I'll be right by you, forever and always. I love you, Lloyd Montgomery. Very, very much."

"I'm tired."

"Alright. I'll sleep with you."

"Go ahead, Dad. I don't mind."

The two of them snuggled into bed together.

"Goodnight, Lloyd."

"Goodnight, Father"

They fell asleep.

It was about nine months later. Lloyd was sitting on his bed, when he heard Chamille screaming.

"Lloyd, I think my water just broke!"

The two of them, Morro, Garmadon, and Wu rushed to the hospital. About an hour later, twins were born: a boy and a girl, named Lona Zachary and Rebekah Sophie respectively.

Lloyd held his children close, cooing softly. "Lona... Rebekah... "

Garmadon gently squeezed his son's shoulder. "May I carry one of them?"

"Sure. Here's Lona."

The master of form smiled as she saw her husband and father-in-law carrying her children. Minutes later, the two of them handed the infants to Chamille so she could hold them, and left to have a private conversation together.

"Oh, Lloyd, this is so wonderful." Garmadon acknowledged. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you, Father." Lloyd replies sincerely, tearing up with overwhelming joy.

The two of them embraced one another tightly. At last, the wait was finally over.

Lloyd cried softly. "Father, after all this time, I just..."

"Shh... Lloyd, I'm right here...right here... You will be perfectly fine... I'm so proud of who you are now. You have grown up so much." Garmadon replies.

Moments later, Lloyd had come to his senses. The two of them went back to the room. The energy master carried his daughter, holding her close. Rachel started crying.

"Oh, Sweetie... Daddy's here. You're alright." Lloyd whispered softly to his little girl.

Garmadon stroked his granddaughter's hair and smiled, looking up at his son. He was very proud.

A day later, it was time to bring Rachel and Lona home from the New Ninjago City Hospital. It was also the same day that Misako had passed, just eleven years ago. When they got home, Lloyd immediately went to his children's room, placing them down in their cribs. He then went to his own, and began to stare out the window while crying. His father entered.

"Hello?"

"Huh...?"

"What's the matter? You aren't usually like this. I'm worried."

"Mom..." Lloyd replies softly. "She passed away on this date, just eleven years ago. I still miss her."

"Oh... Lloyd Montgomery...my beloved child... Come here..." Garmadon pulled his son close. "I miss her too."

"Father... I still need you...even after all these years."

"I know. I'm not upset. It's how you are. You may be twenty-five at the moment, but there are some things that'll never change. I love you dearly."

"I love you too."

"I'm right here..."

"I know it's never gonna happen, but nevertheless, I still don't wanna lose you, Father."

"Same here. Lloyd, I love you; I can't say that enough. I mean it wholeheartedly."

"Lloyd?! Garmadon?!" Chamille called out, startling them both. "It's lunchtime!"

In response, the two of them pulled away, heading to the dining room.

"Coming!"

Seconds later, they all gathered in the dining room. Lloyd's children were already fast asleep, as they had eaten an hour ago. The Green Ninja sighed.

"Lloyd, are you alright?" Chamille asked."

"Not really. I've been having a rough time." Lloyd replies.

"His mother passed away on this same date eleven years ago."

Chamille reassured her husband. "Oh, I see... It's gonna be okay."

Garmadon embraced his son tightly, who smiled in return, looking back up to him gratefully.

"Thanks. Both of you." Lloyd replies.

"No problem at all." his father said. "You're safe now and you have a wonderful family. It's _all_ I could ever want. We all love you very much, Lloyd..."

About thirty minutes later, lunch was finished. Garmadon pulled his son aside.

"What's the matter? You seem more distant than usual."

"Dad, I just...It's _so_ hard..." he said in frustration, starting to cry.

"What is?"

"Transitioning into becoming a parent. I'm not used to it."

"Lloyd, I understand completely. I have been where you are, as I was the exact same way when your mother was still pregnant with you. I was scared, and I didn't know what to expect. And now, after all these years, I've gotten used to it. I'm glad your mother and I had you. It never will be the same."

The two of them embraced and the Green Ninja smiled. It felt very good for Lloyd to realize that there was someone he could count on and talk to anytime.

"I've missed you so much."

"Yes, Lloyd. I couldn't agree more."

Lloyd couldn't hold back his tears, and he started crying.

"It's all right. Come here..." his father reassured, gently pulling him close. His son's body was shaking a bit from being so upset. "I have you now, Lloyd... I have you now..."

For him, it was still extremely hard. He had been through so much over the past several years, especially when he nearly had lost his father to the Cursed Realm. Not to mention the fact that he had also lost his mother the same day his father returned. And even at a very young age, things were also extremely difficult. He thought he was pitted against his father for the fate of the world.

"Parenting isn't the only thing that's been bothering me."

"What else has been?"

"Past events. It's haunted me ever since I was discovered as the Chosen One, and it's been so hard since then. The fact that I nearly died still haunts me to this day."

"I get it." Lloyd's father replied. " _I'm_ still affected from that, despite it happening years ago, but nevertheless, it's finally over now. You're safe and that's what matters. I love you. Come on. Let's go lie down."

"Alright."

They pulled away, the two of them going into Garmadon's room. Lloyd sighed as they lay down, snuggling into his father's warm embrace.

"It's gonna be okay. Calm down. I'm right here."

The two of them stayed in bed for a while. Lloyd woke up, gently shaking his father.

"What is it?" Garmadon replies softly, pulling his son close into an embrace.

"Father, I feel a bit...no... _very_ insecure."

"I know _exactly_ what you're going through, Lloyd. I remember feeling the same way when you were born. I just couldn't stop thinking about what would happen in the future. And that was _even before_ finding out about the prophecy. Yes. I know it's hard. Still, I'll always be right here. You'll be perfectly fine, though."

"I love you, Dad."

"Lloyd Montgomery, my son, yes... _yes_... I couldn't agree more."


	10. Return of the Overlord

Lloyd sat on the couch exhausted. Lona and Rachel were outside training with the other next generation elementals. Parenting them was really hard, yet it was also worth it. His father came and sat beside him.

"Lloyd? You okay there?" Garmadon asked concerningly.

"As okay as I'll ever be." his son replies. "It's hard being a parent."

"I know; you're not alone... I was the same way when Mom and I had you."

"I still miss Mom."

"Lloyd Montgomery, yes. I couldn't agree more."

Suddenly, Lloyd's son, Lona, ran into the room, startling his father and grandfather.

"Dad?!" he exclaimed.

"What is it, Son?" Lloyd replied.

"There's this black cloud in the horizon. What's going on?"

"Oh no..." Garmadon muttered under his breath. "This...This isn't good..."

"Father, what happened?"

"The Overlord is back."

They all went to where the others were training.

"The Overlord's back! We have to head back to the dark island!" Garmadon declares.

"What?!" Zane exclaimed. He rarely did exclaim, but this was an exception. "I thought I got rid of him!"

"And I thought I did too!" Lloyd added. "And he keeps coming back; it's so weird!"

"Dad," Lona put a hand on his father's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"No, Lona. I'm not. I'm a bit overwhelmed with what's been going on. It's just been so long since I was a ninja, that I'm not really used to having this much stress put on me all at once."

"Dad!" Rachel exclaims, running over to her father as well.

"Lona, Rachel, I love you both." Lloyd tells his children.

Garmadon comes up and places a hand upon his own son's shoulder. "Your father's normally this temperamental, yet I love him dearly all the same."

"I love you too, Dad."

Lona took charge, stepping up to talk to the other next generation ninjas, the eight of them flying off on their elemental dragons. Lloyd turned to his father.

"I can't believe it..." he said softly as he shook his head in disbelief, instantly beginning to cry.

"Are you alright?" Garmadon held his son's body close.

Lloyd choked out, "It feels like just yesterday that Lona and Rachel were much younger, and now...now they're gonna go off to save the world... I don't want to lose them..."

"Lloyd..." his father began, "I know... It's hard to see your children go off like this, but you have to realize: they're in good hands. They have each other. I was the same way when I saw you go off on your own to fight the Overlord that first time. I was so proud of you."

"Hmm... You're right. All we can do now is hope that everything'll be alright. I love you so much, Dad."

"I love you as well. You mean everything to me."

The former green ninja looked to the sky and whispered, "Come back safe..."

At last, Lloyd was unable to contain it anymore. He began sobbing.

"Oh... Oh, my son...come here." Garmadon held his beloved child close as he gently whispered soothing words. "I shall be near you _forever_ , Lloyd Montgomery. I love you so much. I really, _really_ do. You'll be alright...I'm here...I'm here..."

"Lloyd?" Chamille asked. "Are you alright?"

Garmadon spoke up. "Not really. He literally just saw Lona and Rachel go off with the others. It's really been emotional for him."

"Oh, Lloyd, dearest...we're both here. You will be okay." The previous master of form told her husband in reassurance, as she joined the father and son in an embrace.

Lloyd smiled contentedly. They would get through it together.

The next generation elementals reached the dark island, the nine of them all going to the temple of light. Lona sighed despondently.

"Lona?" Rachel calmly asked her brother. "Are you okay?"

"Not really. I miss Dad."

"Oh, Lona... Come here...you're okay... You're okay..." Rachel held her sibling close, the same way Garmadon had done to Lloyd when he felt uneasy.

Lloyd eventually recovered. Suddenly, something went through his head, and he shuddered slightly.

"Lloyd?" His father asked, caressing him gently. "What's the matter?"

"I have to go." The former Green Ninja sighed and backed away. "My children need me."

"I'll come. I'm not gonna leave you again."

"Alright."

"We'll all come."

There stood the former ninjas, including the masters of form, wind, and poison. Pixal stayed behind.

"Let's head out!"

The ten of them summoned their elemental dragons, Garmadon getting on his son's. They began heading to the Island of Darkness to assist their children.

Lloyd touched down with his father. The others came shortly after.

"Dad!" Lona cried out, embracing his parents.

"We're here. You'll be okay."

"Son," Garmadon said softly, gently placing a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "I've noticed that Lona has your temperament."

"Dad..." Lona continued sobbing. "I've missed you..."

"I know... You're so like me, Son. I'm here... I'm right here... I love you very much, Lona..."

Garmadon sighed softly, kneeling next to Lloyd, placing a hand upon his shoulder. "I'm so proud of you, Son. I truly am."

Their little moment was interrupted by a weird growling noise.

"It's the Overlord!" Jay exclaims. "Everyone get into the Temple!"

Everyone ran inside, and the door was closed.

Lloyd sighed, anxiety beginning to kick in, like years ago, when he was still a ninja. Instantly, Garmadon came to his son's side, pulling him close, whispering, "Lloyd Montgomery... I'm right here. It's gonna be okay. Oh...I love you so much."

"I love you too, Father..."

"Dad," Rachel crawled over to sit by her father and grandfather, Lona following. "Are you okay?"

"Not really. I'm a bit stressed. I love you both, and I don't want to lose the two of you so early. And I'm worried about the Overlord. It's been so long. I was seven when I fought him all those years ago."

"Oh gosh..." Lona replied.

"I was thirteen when my mother passed. I still miss her to this day. We can go together and the two of you could meet her, but not right now. We have the Overlord to deal with."

The next generation elementals did the temple ritual, like the original ninjas did many years before. Lloyd walked out.

"I...I need a moment..." he said softly as he left.

He went outside, sat on the ledge in front of the temple, and began to cry. His father overheard, instantly following.

"Lloyd..." Garmadon embraced his son tightly, sitting beside him. "Oh... Come here, my child... What's the matter?"

"I...I'm scared, Father...!" Lloyd was clearly upset.

"Shh... Calm down... It's okay...it's okay..." his father reassured. "I've got you... It's not your fault that you're like this. It's how you were born. I love you all the same."

"Father..."

"Yes, Son? I'm here, alright? You can talk to me whenever."

"I'm scared."

"I know...you've said that before. Lloyd Montgomery...it's okay. I am always going to be right here by you."

Minutes later, Lloyd recovered, the two of them going back inside to where everyone else was. By then, someone had taken Rachel hostage.

The former Green Ninja gasped in shock, as he came to realize what had happened. " _Rachel!_ " He was enraged. Lloyd instantly summoned his dragon with the intent of getting her back.

"Lloyd! Hold on!" Garmadon called, but it was too late. His son had already left. _Stay strong for me...always..._

Lloyd had flown for a really long time before reaching the Overlord's fortress. It was a massive castle, and his daughter was on a cage, suspended at the top of it. He flew to the top, eventually breaking Rachel out, then heading back the rest of the group.

"Oh, sweetheart..." Lloyd cries in both relief and reassurance, embracing his daughter tightly. "You're alright... You're alright..."

"Lloyd Montgomery? Is everything okay with you?" Garmadon replies with concern, holding his son and granddaughter close in an embrace. "I'm a bit worried.

"More or less. We really should leave. I know where the Overlord is."

"Wait!"

The other elemental masters flew on their dragon, and dismounted.

"Great!" Skylor exclaims to them. "You got my message!"

They came up with a plan, got on their dragons and flew to the fortress.

"We're here!"

Once they reached the fortress, everyone dismounted.

Lloyd gasped. "Oh, no..."

He felt his father's hand squeeze his own.

"I'm here. We all are. You will be fine."

Lloyd then looked up to Garmadon and smiled softly. "Thanks, Dad."

"No problem at all."

" _ATTACK!_ " Lloyd called, everyone rushing into battle.

There was a massive army consisting of stone warriors and nindroids. Everyone was easily overwhelmed by the multitude of warriors coming to attack them. Then the four original ninjas did the Tornado of Creation, sucking all the warriors and nindroids into it, creating a massive destroyer ray. The beam shoots out from it, annihilating all of the Overlord's minions. They went inside the temple.

"Lloyd, you'll be alright. It'll be over soon." Garmadon reassured quietly.

Lloyd took a deep breath before yelling out, "Overlord! Show yourself!"

Moments later, the Overlord entered the main room. Instantaneously, all the elemental masters started attacking. The Overlord eventually got distracted, buying time for Garmadon to conjugate a portal to the Forgotten Realm

" _NINJA, GO!_ "

With that, everyone sent forth their powers, blasting the Overlord into the portal. It closed instantly.

Lloyd collapsed to the ground, very exhausted, and sighed in relief. "It's over... _finally_..." His voice was soft, but still held an excited tone to it.

Garmadon instantly ran to his son's side, pulling him close. "It absolutely is." He turned to the others "I'm so proud of all of you."

They got onto the Bounty and left for the tea shop, with the elemental masters leaving to go to their own homes.

* * *

Lloyd sighed on his bed in the Bounty, when his father came in and sat beside him.

"Lloyd? You alright? What's the matter?"

"I still really miss Mom..." Without warning, Lloyd immediately began to cry.

"Oh, come here..." Garmadon embraced his son. He was cooing softly, attempting to hold back his own tears. "Lloyd Montgomery, my dearest...I know you're upset, but...your mother and I...we absolutely adore you. You're the best thing that has _ever_ happened to us. You're my world, and you always will be. I'm just so proud of the person you are now."

"Dad, can we visit her?"

"Yes. Absolutely."

"Dad!" Lona and Rachel called. "Can we come too?"

"Yeah sure." Lloyd said to them.

Within minutes, they entered the Departed Realm and came across Misako. They hung out for a long time.

"I think it's time to leave now. Come on. Bye Mom." Lloyd called

"Goodbye to all of you."

They went back through the portal and returned to the regular world. They all embraced one another.

Garmadon sighed softly. "It's alright now. Everything is over."


	11. Legacy of the Ninjas-Part 1

" _Dad!_ " Lloyd cried, collapsing into his father's arms.

His father was startled for a moment, but completely understood. Lloyd was upset. It may have been years since Misako, his mother, had passed, but nevertheless, the once former Green Ninja still held strong feelings over it. His emotional side still remained, as powerful as ever.

"Shh... It's okay, Lloyd Montgomery, I'm here...I'm here..." Garmadon held his son very tightly and continued. "Don't blame yourself. It isn't your fault. Besides, she would've passed either way. She isn't immortal, but Wu and I are. And so are you and your children."

"R-Really?!"

"Yes. Really. I-I love you so much. Unconditionally. You are, and _forever_ will be my whole world. I-I'm so proud of you. Truly, Son."

"I don't wanna leave you! I don't wanna die!"

"You never will. You are immortal." Garmadon replies softly, yet firmly. "I'll be right here, Lloyd. Always. Forever."

"But, Father, I-" Lloyd started sobbing again.

"Ohh... Ohh..." Garmadon sighed. "It's fine. I'm right here."

They held one another close for a long time. Lloyd's father completely understood how much his son needed him, even after all those years. It was perfectly normal.

Running a hand through Lloyd's hair, Garmadon smiled softly and added, "You mean a lot to me, Lloyd. I can't even _imagine_ what I'd do without you. It's...been just such a long time, but everything is finally over now. Lloyd Montgomery, Oh...my precious son...settle down... There, there... You'll be alright...you'll be alright..."

"Dad! Are you alright in there?!" Lona called, running to their father's room with his sister.

Lloyd sighed, pulling his son and daughter in close, Garmadon wrapping an arm around the three of them.

"My son... My daughter... I'm so sorry that I'm not always there for you...I've just been so upset over my mother having passed away..." Lloyd trailed off.

"Dad... I'm sorry..." Rachel said empathetically to her father.

In contrast, Lona started sobbing softly into his parent's arms.

"I'm alright... I'll be fine as long as I'm with you...and I always will be. I love you both...so very much." Lloyd reassures, smiling softly, down at his children. He looked up at his own father. "I love you too."

"Yes. So do I, Lloyd." Garmadon replied. "I always have. Hang on...stay with me..."

"I will, Father..." Lloyd said at last. "I will."

"Dad, where did Lona and Rachel go?" Daniela asked her father, Zane.

"They're with Sensei Lloyd and Sensei Garmadon."

"Has Sensei Lloyd always been this unhappy?"

Sensei Zane sighed, worrying over his once former teammate. "Daniela Rose Julien, Lloyd wasn't always like this. There was a time when he was very happy. It was the moment when his father returned from the Cursed Realm. But then...his mother passed, just a couple hours after his father returned. He hasn't been the same since then. I'm worried. It's been literally twenty-six years since it happened."

Meanwhile, back in Lloyd's room, Lloyd was still a bit upset. He sighed. "Lona, Rachel, do you mind leaving me? I need some time alone with my father."

"Alright."

The two of them left at once.

"Son!" Garmadon cried.

Lloyd had suddenly run off elsewhere, so his father followed him. He had reached the outside of the monastery where Misako's gravesite was. The once former Green Ninja had already knelt upon the grass, sobbing into his hands, once his father arrived.

Instantly, Sensei Garmadon embraced his child tight, gently rocking him back and forth, like he had done many years ago. "Lloyd! Ohh...Lloyd... Shhhh... I'm right here...I've got you...I've got you..."

The two of them stayed like that for awhile. It comforted them both.

"Dad...I miss her..."

"Yes. I completely understand. I miss her as well. Unfortunately, though, as much as I want to, it is beyond my ability to bring her back. I may be the eldest son of the First Spinjitzu Master, but there are some things that even _I_ can't do. I'm so sorry. Oh, Son...It-It's okay. Everything is alright now. You're perfectly fine. Your extreme temperament is just how you are naturally. It was never your fault to begin with. Still, though, you're very strong, Lloyd, in _so_ many ways. I...I couldn't have asked for anything better. I just cannot express that enough. I mean it wholeheartedly. Yes, I know there may have been some things I completely regret, but it doesn't matter any more. You are here with me. It is all I could _ever_ care about."

"Dad...it's been so long..."

"Yes. I know. Twenty-six years. But you've come so far. I'm very proud."

"Are you alright?"

Lloyd sighed. "As much as I'll ever be... Things will never be the same without her."

"I know..." Garmadon said sadly. "It's unfortunate. But you are still here, and so am I. We'll get through it together. You're fine now. We both are."

"D-Dad...can we sleep together tonight?"

"Yes. Absolutely. I love you. So very much. It's not your fault that you're so emotional. It's forever been a part of who you are. I will _always_ remain proud of the person you've become. Take my hand. Let's go back inside."

"Alright."

The two of them walked together, going into Lloyd's room to eventually spend the night. After dinner, they returned to his bedroom once more.

"Is everything okay? You seem distraught."

"Mom...did she have to go?" Lloyd whispered softly.

"Son," Garmadon sighed in response. "Her death was neither your fault, nor mine, but I do miss her. And like I said before, she wouldn't have been able to survive either way."

"Dad, I had told the ninjas to not tell their children about you being evil. Now, it's been fifteen for the other ninjas' children, but fourteen years for my own. They're probably old enough to understand. I should probably tell them."

"No, Lloyd. I should. It'd be better off that way. Besides, I'm the one who actually experienced it."

"Alright. So it's settled. You'll tell them tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Goodnight Father."

"Goodnight, Lloyd."

The two of them fell asleep at last.

The two of them woke up the next day, the ninjas and their children all gathered around Sensei Garmadon in the training room. Lloyd's father sighed.

"Your parents have kept something major from you for all these years, but we've decided to tell you all now. I was once evil. I was bitten by the Great Devourer: a legendary snake that would grow as long as it consumed. The Devourer infected me with pure evil...and... _completely_ ruined my life...until...that one day...when you saved me, Lloyd..."

 _Lona..._

The once former Green Ninja was filled with concern over his son. As Lloyd held him close, Lona began softly crying against his father's chest.

"I'm right here. Son... You're okay. It's all in the past now..."

"Dad?" Lona whimpered. "Did that really happen."

"It did. I was in the midst of it. So was my father, but it's over... I saved him."

"I don't want that to happen to me..."

"It won't. The Devourer was killed."

"I killed it." Garmadon replied.

The three of them sat in silence. The other next generation elementals came over to support their teammate.

"We're all here." Lona's sister reassured.


	12. LotN-Part 2 and Closing Remarks

At last, the once former Green Ninja couldn't hold it in. Filled with worry over his child, he immediately started sobbing.

"Lloyd..." Garmadon breathed, signaling the others to leave him, his son, and grandson alone together for a moment. He pulled them both in close as the rest of them left. "Lona... I'm right here... There is nothing to worry about... I'm redeemed; it's all over..."

"Thanks..." Lloyd replies softly.

"No problem at all... I love you both... _so_ much..."

"I love you too, Father..."

* * *

 **At last, the Family Series has finally come to a close. We really enjoyed creating these stories.**

 **-Doctor_Discord and Zena 1421**


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